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TALES 


FOB 


THE    MARINES. 


BY 

HARRY    GRINGO, 

AUTHOR   OF   "LOS   GRINGOS." 


«  Nought  but  one  Ions  tale  was  left 
In  that  once  peaceful  dwelling, 
And  a  very  toueh  one,  too,  it  was, 
The  same  that  I've  been  telling." 


BOSTON: 
PHILLIPS,  SAMPSON,  &   COMPANY. 

NEW   YORK:    J.    C.    DERBY. 
18  5  5. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1855,  by 

PHILLIPS,  SAMPSON,  AND   COMPANY, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts 


STEREOTYPED  AT  THE 
BOSTON    STEREOTYPE    FOUNDRY. 


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PREFACE. 


As  far  back  as  the  reign  of  old  Canute  the 
Dane,  and  King  Alfred  of  Britain,  when  navies 
were  first  built,  down  to  the  present  time,  there 
has  existed  a  popular  superstition,  that  every 
item  of  a  romantic  or  intellectual  complexion 
which  happens  on  shipboard  is  immediately  com- 
municated to  the  Marines. 

It  would  be  preposterous  in  any  mild- 
mannered  mariner  of  this  century  to  gainsay  so 
time-hallowed  a  tradition  ;  and  under  the  con- 
viction that  the  Anglo-Saxon  world  on  land 
are  somewhat  curiously  inclined  to  know  what 
really  is  told  to  the  Marines,  I  have  employed 


A  •>  rr  -;•  .-■  i  > 


Oty 


/  I 


u 


4   r'  *  .**  f ! f  ;*•.'!■  *       *    >  R  E'F  ACE. 

—  as  I  trust  the  reader  will  admit  after  a  careful 
perusal  of  these  Tales  —  considerable  labor  and 
research  in  preparing  the  only  authentic  records 
of  the  kind  that  have  yet  appeared  in  print. 

HARRY  GRINGO. 


TALES   FOR  THE   MARINES. 


CHAPTER    I. 

''  Now  for  the  pirates,  uncle,"  said  Fred  to  the  Lieu- 
tenant, as  the  boy  planted  both  elbows  on  the  table,  and 
looked  up  into  his  relative's  face  with  an  earnest  gaze ; 
"  let  us  have  the  yarn  you  promised  about  the  pirates  ; 
the  baby  is  swinging  in  her  little  cot,  and  aunty  has 
declared  she  won't  make  fun  of  the  story  ;  so  begin, 
uncle,  do !  " 

The  Lieutenant  could  not,  apparently,  resist  the  eager 
looks  which  complimented  him  through  the  youngster's 
eyes  ;  and  so,  while  the  ladies  were  busy  sewing  for  a 
small  Dorcas  Society,  he  placed  an  unlighted  cheroot 
between  his  incisors,  and  began  as  follows :  — 

I  intend  to  tell  you  of  my  first  cruise  in  the  Juniata ; 
for  the  incidents  connected  with  it  made  a  very  vivid 
impression  upon  me  at  the  time,  which  has  never  yet 
been  effaced.  It  is  now  considerably  more  than  a 
score  of  years,  my  child,  when  I  was  scarcely  bigger 
1*  (5) 


6  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

than  you,  tliat  I  left  scliool.  '^  Ran  away,  you  mean," 
said  a  lady  near,  without,  however,  looking  up  from  her 
work  upon  a  wee  flannel  pea-jacket  intended  for  a  ten 
pound  baby.  Granted,  smiled  the  Lieutenant,  but  it 
was  an  excusable  desertion,  as  you  shall  hear.  The 
facts  are  these  :  that  I  was  placed  under  the  parental 
culture  of  a  sanctimonious  preacher,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pyrus 
Eelpie,  who  had  his  establishment  away  off  in  the 
provinces,  in  shape  of  a  boarding  school,  where  the 
only  rewards  of  merit  were,  a  ride  on  a  spavined  little 
pony  on  Saturdays,  and  a  cold  wedge  of  apple  pie  on 
Sundays. 

JFor  some  reason  which  I  have  not  to  this  day  been 
able  to  divine,  I  never  had  but  one  ride  on  that  misera- 
ble pony  ;  when,  whether  I  went  too  far  or  too  fast  I 
cannot  remember,  but  the  poor  beast  went  dead  lame, 
and  was  confined  to  the  stable  for  many  weeks  after- 
wards —  an  instance  of  perversity  on  his  part  which 
was  the  cause  of  extreme  dissatisfaction  to  all  the  good 
boys,  myself  included,  of  the  institution.  As  for  the 
cold  pie,  I  never  had  so  much  as  even  a  bite,  and  was 
forced  to  put  up  with  the  usual  commons  —  a  peculiarly 
indigestible  mass  of  food,  of  the  consistency  of  bill 
stickers'  paste,  called  by  the  good  Pyrus  minnit  puddin', 
but  by  his  students  glazing  putty,  because  it  stuck  pains 
in  their  insides. 

Owing  to  the  unfortunate  sagacity  and  fatigue  of  the 
pony,  I  was,  with   several  other  lads,  deprived  of  the 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  7 

pleasure  of  witnessing  a  grand  display  of  fireworks, 
prepared  by  the  chemical  class,  and  which  were  to  be 
let  off  on  a  certain  festival,  to  delight  and  astonish  the 
townspeople.  The  evening  previous,  however,  to  this 
display,  with  the  assistance  of  a  bosom  friend,  who,  I 
regret  to  add,  was  many  years  afterwards  hung,  we  con- 
trived to  remove,  for  our  private  gratification  in  their 
going  off,  a  half  barrel  filled  with  Roman  candles,  Cath- 
arine wheels,  rockets,  lights,  and  other  pyrotechny, 
which  had  been  carefully  prepared,  and  stored  in  the 
cellars  beneath  the  laboratory. 

The  night  selected  for  the  grand  show,  by  our  com- 
rades and  the  worthy  burghers,  chanced  unfortunately  to 
pour  with  rain,  and  their  fireworks  could  not  be  induced 
to  burn.  Our  own  little  store,  however,  performed 
admirably,  and,  indeed,  rather  more  brilliantly  than 
we  really  intended  they  should.  To  guard  them  from 
the  dampness,  we  had  rolled  the  barrel  under  a  great 
square  recitation  room,  which  rested  on  low  posts,  about 
four  feet  from  the  ground,  like  a  house  on  stilts  ;  the 
space  beneath  being  devoted  to  large  broods  of  poultry, 
which  were  at  maturity  devoured,  we  believed,  at  the 
excellent  Eelpie's  private  board.  While  our  fellow- 
students,  headed  by  the  principal  and  his  assistants,  were 
striving  unavailingly  to  coax  their  combustibles  to  fly 
up  into  the  sky,  we  merely  threw  two  or  three  pounds 
of  loose  powder  into  our  barrel,  made  a  slow  match  of 
damp  tow,  applied  a  spark,  and  being  tolerably  fleet  of 


8  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

foot,  travelled  to   a  safe  distance  before  the  explosion 
took  place. 

There  was  not  mucli  of  a  report  certainly  ;  but  though 
in  my  time  it  has  been  my  fate  to  behold  the  battle  of 
Navarino,  the  taking  of  Amoy,  the  bombardment  of 
Algiers,  and  other  gorgeous  spectacles  of  the  sort,  yet  ^ 
on  this  occasion  the  brilliant  mixture  of  sparks  and 
flames,  the  bursting  of  rockets,  the  whizzing  wheels 
and  Bengal  lights,  added  to  the  orchestral  accompani- 
ment of  the  startled  cackling  geese  and  fowls,  positively 
"  beggars  description." 

I  learned  afterwards  that  the  building  itself  was  left 
in  a  very  lickety  condition,  and  was  not  considered  a  • 
safe  habitation  for  the  good  boys  until  the  underpinning 
had  been  strengthened.  However,  long  before  the 
alarmed  Pyrus  had  returned  to  his  classic  abode,  my 
companion  and  I  had  skipped  over  many  a  rood,  and 
were  racing  away,  with  light  hearts  and  very  much 
lighter  pockets.  We  went  on  at  a  round  trot  for  the 
remainder  of  the  night,  and  towards  morning,  wet  and 
weary,  we  took  shelter  in  a  barn,  where,  after  a  couple 
of  hours'  sleep,  we  resumed  our  journey.  We  partook 
of  gingerbread  for  breakfast,  purchased  at  an  apple 
stand  in  a  village  on  our  way,  and  then  on  we  journeyed. 
Towards  noon  we  stopped,  and  seating  ourselves  on  a 
rail  fence  at  the  road  side,  began  to  discuss  our  future 
prospects.  "  I'm  going  to  sea,"  said  my  companion. 
"  And  so  will  I ;  but  where  shall  we  go  now  ?  "  I  added. 


TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES.  9 

"  0,  leave  that  to  me/'  said  lie ;  but  just  at  that  mo- 
ment he  cast  his  eyes  up  the  road,  and  roared  out, 
'*  Why,  there's  the  blazed-face  mare  comin'  like  ven- 
geance, with  old  Eelpie  inside  the  gig ;  now,  don't  let 
him  catch  us." 

For  myself,  I  looked  upon  escape  as  next  to  impos- 
sible ;  for  my  friend  threw  a  somersault  over  the  fence, 
and  plunging  into  an  open  field  with  a  rolling  country 
beyond,  left  me  to  my  fate.  I  resolved,  however,  to 
make  an  effort  to  create  a  diversion  by  trying  my  luck 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road ;  so  just  as  the  excited 
Pyrus  came  up  abreast  of  me  I  had  crawled  through 
the  fence,  and  gained  a  small  patch  of  forest  trees  be- 
yond. Here  I  gave  a  glance  back,  and  saw  our  grieved 
governor  spring  out  of  his  vehicle,  and  hesitating  an 
instant,  as  if  undecided  which  bird  to  pounce  upon  first, 
and  very  naturally  thinking,  perhaps,  that  a  short-legged 
little  runt  of  a  boy  like  me  could  be  overhauled  at 
pleasure,  he  made  his  own  sticking  plaster  looking 
pedestals,  encased  as  they  were  in  shiny  bombazine, 
move  after  the  nimble  heels  of  my  agile  companion. 

I  watched  the  chase  with  intense  interest  for  some 
minutes,  until  I  saw  my  ill-fated  friend  seized  by  the 
nape  of  the  neck,  when  I  turned  my  thoughts  to  my  own 
dismal  plight.  Running  a  race  with  the  schoolmastei, 
tired  as  I  felt,  was  out  of  the  question  ;  and  I  was  on  the 
point  of  surrendering  with  the  best  grace  possible,  when 
my  eye  caught  sight  of  the  gig  standing  in  the  middle 


10  TALES    FOR   THE   MAR1NE3. 

of  the  road.  '-  Ah,  ha  !  "  thought  I ;  '^  now  comes  my 
turn."  In  a  moment  I  was  seated  within  the  comfortably 
stuflfed  vehicle,  had  taken  the  ribbons,  and  with  a  vigor- 
ous touch  of  the  whip,  off  I  went  at  a  full  gallop. 

I  had  only  time  to  observe  my  pursuer  standing  on 
the  other  side  of  the  enclosure,  with  his  prize  in  his 
grasp,  but  looking  the  very  personification  of  horror  and 
amazement. 

"  Stop,  you  thief !  "  he  gaspingly  shrieked,  as  I  flew 
by ;  but  I  heeded  him  not ;  and  this  was  the  last  glimpse 
I  ever  was  blessed  with  of  the  Kev.  Pyrus  Eelpie.  I 
went  on  for  many  miles  at  a  slapping  pace,  until,  find- 
ing the  mare  was  a  little  blown,  and  that  I  was  approach- 
ing a  large  town,  I  got  down,  turned  her  head  in  the 
direction  I  had  come,  slipped  off  the  bridle,  and  with 
one  swinging  lash  over  the  blazed-nose's  flanks,  I  let 
her  go. 

I  presumed  that  the  gig  would  be  dashed  into  tooth- 
picks in  about  the  space  of  five  minutes,  as  indeed 
it  was  in  less  ;  and  if  I  remember  aright,  said  the 
Lieutenant,  elevating  his  voice  into  the  ear  of  an  elderly 
lady  of  the  party,  it  was  charged  in  the  bill  with  the 
fireworks ! 

The  course  was  now  all  clear  before  me,  continued 
the  narrator,  and  by  night  I  reached  one  of  our  noble 
rivers,  and  embarked  in  a  little  steamer.  The  next  day, 
without  sixpence  in  my  pocket,  I  was  in  New  York ; 
but,  nevertheless,  I  persuaded  the  skipper  of  a  sailing 


I 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARIXE3.  11 

packet  to  give  me  a  passage  to  the  Chesapeake.  From 
this  skipper,  too,  I  was  taught  my  first  lesson  in  practical 
navigation ;  for  once  on  the  voyage,  about  meridian,  I 
happened  to  take  his  quadrant  off  the  rail,  to  discover 
what  he  could  possibly  see  inside  of  it,  of  such  extraor- 
dinary interest,  for  an  hour  each  day.  I  had  no  sooner 
raised  it  to  my  ovm  vision,  than  the  skipper  shouted 
out,  "Drop  that  pig  yoke,  you  infernal  imp."  His  harsh 
summons  so  startled  me,  that  I  dropped  his  instrument 
like  a  hot  copper,  only  it  went  overboard !  That  I  be- 
lieve was  charged  in  another  bill,  though  the  skipper 
seemed  inclined  to  drop  me  into  the  sea  in  search  of  his 
quadrant,  and  thus  balance  and  cancel  the  account. 

I  was,  however,  in  the  end  safely  restored  to  my  good 
old  grandfather's  care,  who  enjoyed  my  adventures, 
gave  me  a  boat  and  fowling  piece,  and  intrusted  me  to 
the  charge  of  a  colored  man  on  the  estate,  named  Kit 
Dolphin.  Kit  had  been  born  and  bred  in  the  family, 
and  had,  as  he  always  boasted,  "  minded  "  my  father. 
All  the  denizens  of  the  plantation  loved  and  respected 
Christopher,  for  he  was  as  brave  and  sagacious  as  an 
elephant,  and  withal  as  kind  and  gentle  as  a  woman. 
In  the  war  of  1812,  Kit  had  followed  my  father  to  sea ; 
and  in  one  of  the  bloodiest  actions,  he  had  been  wounded 
by  a  bursting  fuse,  which  had  left  a  nearly  white  mark, 
in  a  broad  stripe  from  the  lower  part  of  his  cheek, 
straight  up  across  the  eye  and  forehead.  In  person  Kit 
was  a  very  Atlas  in  muscle ;  and  though  scarcely  above 


12  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

the  ordinary  height,  his  heavy,  square  shoulders  and 
deep  chest,  with  arms  woven  like  the  wire  of  a  suspen- 
sion bridge,  layer  upon  layer,  of  hard,  seasoned  thews 
and  sinews,  made  him  more  than  a  match  for  any  two 
men  you  would  meet  in  a  week.  Added  to  this  pro- 
digious strength,  he  was  a  man  of  great  and  tried  en- 
durance and  singular  activity,  whether  afloat  or  on 
shore. 

But  still  he  was  the  best  and  kindest  creature  in 
existence,  and  his  smile,  lighted  up  by  the  comical  white 
seam  in  his  face,  made  us  shout  with  merriment  when- 
ever we  met  him.  He  was  born  a  slave,  but  my  father 
had  given  him  his  freedom  out  of  love  for  his  early 
playmate  ;  and  although  Kit  at  times  would  ramble  away 
for  a  few  months,  on  short  voyages  to  the  West  Indies, 
or  along  our  own  coast,  still  he  always  returned  to  the 
land  where  he  was  reared.  Here  he  had  a  freehold  of 
a  small  house  and  bit  of  land  resting  on  an  arm  of  the 
bay,  where  he  was  universally  acknowledged  as  the  king 
of  the  seine  and  superlntendent-in-chief  of  all  the  boats, 
oyster  beds,  and  fishing  spots  pertaining  to  the  planta- 
tion. 

The  early  affection  which  he  had  felt  for  my  father 
he  transferred  to  me ;  and  many's  the  hour  the  faithful 
black  has  held  me  in  his  arms,  and  related  to  me,  with 
wonderful  powers  of  description,  the  scenes  he  had  wit- 
nessed "  beyond  seas ;  "  and  through  all  my  wayward- 
ness and  impatience  of  restraint,  he  never  lost  his  rare 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  13 

good  humor,  or  chided  me  witli  an  unkiud  word.  Once, 
however,  I  remember  that  when  I  had  proved  fractious  " 
beyond  all  reasonable  measure,  the  cautious  Christopher 
had  devised  the  happy  expedient  of  curbing  my  childish 
rambles,  by  digging  a  hole  in  the  sandy  flats  of  the  sea 
beach,  and  there  immersing  me  up  to  the  armpits,  while 
he  pursued  his  search  for  soft  crabs. 

My  grandfather  had  been,  until  far  advanced  in  life, 
a  capital  sportsman  both  in  the  chase  and  with  the  gun. 
Kit  had  been  a  pupil  of  his  master  in  these  sports,  and 
by  him  I  was  taught  to  handle  the  fowling  piece  and 
pistol,  and  dash  through  a  pine  forest  on  a  thorough- 
bred horse  without  a  thought  of  accident. 

Here  I  led  a  very  delightful  existence  for  more  than 
a  year,  paddling  about  the  lagoons,  shooting  game,  sail- 
ing, hunting,  and  fishing,  until  one  unlucky  morning  I 
chanced  to  deliver  a  full  charge  of  fine  shot  into  the 
breeches  of  a  French  gentleman,  who  had  taken  the 
liberty  of  landing  from  a  vessel  in  the  bay,  and  without 
leave  or  license  was  exercising  his  skill  upon  the  wood- 
cock in  a  small  marsh  which  I  had  especially  set  aside  for 
my  own  amusement.  The  French  gentleman,  thereupon, 
raised  such  a  noise  and  commotion  that  it  even  attracted 
the  attention  of  my  grandfather,  who  had  very  recently  de- 
clared his  disapprobation  of  previous  frolicsome  exploits, 
by  intimating,  in  good  set  terms,  that  he  "  wished  the 
boy  was  with  the  devil,  and  that  he  had  ten  thousand 
dollars  for  him."  After  the  Frenchman  had  been  heard, 
2 


-14  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

pacified^  and  carried  off  to  his  vessel,  with  the  shot 
carefully  picked  out  of  his  breeches  and  his  wounds 
decently  dressed,  the  vessel  fortunately  sailing  that 
afternoon  for  Bordeaux,  my  turn  came,  and  Kit  not 
being  near  to  shield  or  excuse  me,  in  furtherance  of  the 
benevolent  wish  expressed  by  my  grandfather,  it  was 
determined  that  I  should  be,  as  Kit  expressed  it, 
"  hustled  "  off  to  sea. 

The  navy  was  the  branch  of  the  profession  chosen. 
An  appointment  as  midshipman  was  soon  procured 
through  the  influence  of  a  noble-hearted  relative  in 
power,  and  within  a  month  I  was  hurried  away  to  a 
dock  yard,  where  until  a  vessel  was  ready,  I  was  ordered 
to  attend  the  naval  school. 

There  was  a  large  class  of  old  midshipmen  at  this 
embryo  college,  from  whom,  being  a  boy  of  considera- 
ble observation,  I  picked  up  a  great  many  of  the  first 
rudiments  of  knowledge  requisite  for  the  profession  I 
was  about  to  embark  in ;  but  in  the  way  of  books^  I  am 
sorry  to  add,  I  gave  very  little  heed  to  the  drunken  and 
corrupt  teacher  or  his  lessons  or  threats.  My  chief 
delight  was,  with  two  or  three  other  sucklings  of  sailors, 
in  rolling  round  shot  about  the  lower  decks  of  a  frigate 
on  the  stocks,  until  the  master  carpenter  complained  of 
us,  and  we  were  pulled  up  one  morning  by  the  post 
captain  of  the  dock  yard.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  the 
Benbow  stamp,  with  a  nose  as  red  as  a  comet,  and  a 
voice  like  a  rusty  cable  grating  out  of  a  hawsehole. 


TALE3    FOR    THE    MAEINES.  15 

"  Halloo  !  "  he  said  in  a  base  strong  enougli  to  crack 
a  wine  glass  —  "  halloo  !   so  you've  been   smashing  the 
bulkheads  of  the  Sabine,  have  ye  ?  and  you  don't  larn 
your  lessons  ;  nor,"  he  added,  with  an  awful  thunder, 
"  nor  go  to  chapel  either,  you    dam  little  wharf  rats  ! 
I've  written  to  the  Hon.  Soketary  of  the  Xavy  to   send 
you  off  to  sea;    so  mizzle."     As  we    turned  to  fly,   I 
heard  him  growl  out  to  an  attendant  at  his  office  door, 
"  William,  what  did  my  wife  say  when  I  sent  you  for 
the  prayer  book  ?  "     "  Why,  sir,  she  says  there  ain't  a 
prayer   book  in  the   house."     "What!"  he  bellowed; 
*'  then  tell  her  to  send   me  a  Bible,  —  there's  one  of 
them,  I  know,  as  big  as  the  dining  room  table,  —  for 
I'm   a-going  to  bury  a   marine."     These  were  the  last 
words  I  ever  heard  the   old  sea  dog  utter ;    and  he  died 
soon  after  of  apoplexy,  while  in  a  suppressed  passion  at 
his  chaplain  for  reading  from  the  pulpit  a  proclamation 
from    the    bishop    without    permission.     At    his    death, 
however,  it  was  found  that  he  had  formally  debased  and 
bequeathed  the  navy  yard,   shipping,  and  other  public 
property,  to  his  natural  heirs,  under  the  mistaken  belief, 
no  doubt,  that  after  his  long  stewardship  the  property 
rightfully  belonged  to  him. 

The  orders  for  sea  service  soon  came,  recommended 
as  they  were  by  so  powerful  an  advocate ;  and  with  as 
nice  a  kit  as  ever  a  reefer  had  I  proceeded  to  join  my 
ship.  Speaking  of  kits,  said  the  Lieutenant,  turning  to 
his  nephew,  it's  the  most  ill-judged  thing  in  the  world 


16  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

to  carry  too  much  with  one  to  sea,  as  it  is  on  the  other 
hand  not  to  take  enough.  Now,  in  my  time  I've  seen 
boys  carry  chests  as  big  as  piano-fortes,  crammed  with 
every  useless  article  imaginable,  from  a  plum  cake  to 
long  silk  stockings ;  and  then  again  I've  known  lads 
with  only  a  couple  of  shirts,  which  they  were  obliged 
of  course  to  put  on,  watch  and  watch,  who  would  have 
got  on  better  with  a  few  more. 

On  my  journey  to  the  seaport  where  the  ship  to 
which  I  was  attached  was  fitting,  I  fell  in  company  with 
a  mate,  as  noble  and  handsome  a  fellow  as  ever  lived, 
named  Jack  Gracieux.  We  have  sailed  many  a  year 
together  since,  and  shared  many  a  sight  of  fun  and 
gravity  which  are  now  but  dimly  remembered  ;  but  I 
never  shall  forget  the  impression  he  made  upon  me  on 
the  occasion  of  our  first  introduction. 

The  vessel  we  joined  was  a  brand  new  corvette,  scarcely 
a  month  off  the  ways.  Her  battery  was  composed 
of  twenty  thirty-two  pounder  medium  guns,  and  two 
beautiful  long  eighteens  forward.  She  was,  at  the  time 
I  speak  of,  supposed  to  combine  the  two  requisites  of  a 
ship  of  war  of  her  class  —  space  and  speed.  She  had  a 
sharp  entrance,  a  flat  floor,  with  great  beam,  and  a  run 
as  fine  as  a  needle  abaft.  Above  the  water  line  she 
rested  lightly  with  a  full  swell  from  the  fore  chains  to 
her  taffrail,  where  she  rounded  ofl"  in  a  graceful  curve, 
like  the  bill  of  a  wild  duck.  Above  she  had  the  legs 
and  arms  of  a  giant ;  more  than  one  not  acquainted  with 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  17 

the  qualities  of  the  ship  would  suppose  she  could  stand 
up  to  ;  but  with  seventeen  feet  hold  of  the  water  be- 
low, it  was  rare  to  fall  in  with  the  breeze  to  make  her 
heel  over  beyond  her  bearings.  Her  immense  beam, 
too,  gave  great  spread  to  the  standing  rigging,  and  the 
masts  could  bear  their  canvas  without  complaining. 
Such  was  the  Juniata  ! 

I  pass  over  the  fitting  out,  during  which  period  of 
some  weeks  we  were  messed  on  board  the  receiving 
hulk,  where  an  old  mate,  Jo  Powers  by  name,  ca- 
tered, as  it  were,  forcibly  for  us.  He  made  an  invari- 
able rule  to  lug  in  a  charge  for  crockery  every  week, 
and  always  gave  secret  instructions  to  the  steward  to 
pause  at  his  wife's  lodgings  in  the  town,  and  let  her 
have  a  shy  at  the  market  baskets.  This  old  rascal  was 
a  very  sharp  fellow  of  his  kind  in  those  days,  when 
even  post  captains  did  not  consider  it  beneath  their 
dignity  to  steal  slush  or  timber  from  the  public  stores 
intrusted  to  their  keeping ;  but  now  I  believe  the  race 
has  died  out  of  the  service,  both  morally  and  physically. 
The  age  of  our  purveyor  on  board  the  hulk,  Jo  Powers, 
was  enveloped  in  the  mists  of  the  past ;  so  was  his 
birthplace.  Of  the  former  we  knew,  from  contempora- 
neous history,  that  he  had  served  in  the  patriot  service 
in  '21,  where  he  did  a  little  marauding  in  the  Pacific ; 
but  whether  he  was  Russ,  Swede,  Saxon,  or  Yankee,  no 
traditions  were  handed  down  to  us. 

When  the  dock  yard  men  had  completed  their  mission 

Q  * 


18  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

on  board  the  corvette,  and  she  had  been  stored  and 
watered,  we  were,  with  the  crew,  transferred  from  the 
guardship  and  hauled  out  into  the  stream,  where  the 
powder  was  received  and  all  preparations  made  for  sea. 
Though  the  crew  were  rather  short-handed,  we  were,  by 
contrast,  over-manned  with  reefers.  The  accommoda- 
tions were  as  roomy  as  the  internal  economy  of  the  ship 
would  admit,  but  the  fault  lay  in  crowding  too  many 
•  midshipmen  into  the  allotted  space  —  more,  in  fact,  than 
were  required  for  the  duties  of  the  corvette.  I  think 
we  numbered  five  and  twenty,  all  told,  packed  into  the 
square  berths,  with  narrow  upright  little  lockers  for  our 
traps,  ranged  around  the  sides  and  bulkheads.  Of  all 
these  my  old  messmates,  and  some  twenty  more  who 
entered  the  service  when  I  did,  there  are  scarcely  a  ba- 
ker's dozen  left.  Dissipation  and  disease  carried  off  the 
greater  part,  while  crime  and  violent  deaths  swept  away 
others.     A  few  disappeared  entirely,  and  may  have  been 


ate  by  cannibals ; 


Or  else,  beyond  the  seas, 

Were  scraped  to  death  by  oyster  shells 

Among  the  Caribbees." 


Alas  !  poor  fellows,  it  was  a  sweepstakes  race  for  all  comers. 
When  the  final  preparations  were  made,  and  the 
instructions  came,  the  Juniata  unmoored,  got  in  her 
boats,  the  booms  alongside,  and  with  a  single  anchor 
under  foot,  she  lay  restlessly   off  the  Castle,  in  readi- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAKINES.  19 

ness  to  sail  with  the  first  of  the  ebb  tide  on  the 
morrow. 

I  remember  as  if  it  were  yesterday  how  your  kind 
grandmother  there,  who  had  come  to  see  me  off,  sat  beside 
me  at  my  last  meal  on  shore ;  how  the  ripe  strawberries 
which  she  urged  me  to  eat  were  made  bitter  by  her 
tears^  for  her  heart  was  full,  as  was  that  of  her  child, 
and  with  one  long,  convulsive  clasp  to  her  bosom,  — 
"  Be  a  good  boy,  Harry  ;  "  "  Good  by,  dear  mother,"  — 
I  turned  and  left.  You  too,  Fred,  will  treasure  up 
recollections  such  as  these,  though  you  may  wonder,  after 
thirty  years  of  roving,  why  you  should. 

I  believe  I  have  not  yet  mentioned  that,  to  my  great 
delight,  my  faithful  ally,  old  Kit  Dolphin,  had  come  on 
to  the  port,  and  regularly  enlisted  for  the  cruise  in  the 
corvette  ;  and  I  may  add  that  he  soon  won  the  good  will 
of  all  on  board.  Before  many  weeks,  owing  to  his 
skill  as  a  seaman,  he  was  made  second  captain  of  the 
forecastle.  There,  on  every  clear  night,  he  had  an  eager 
audience  around  him,  listening  to  his  graphic  yarns, 
or  dancing  the  double  shuffle  to  the  music  of  his 
Virginia  jigs  played  on  a  cornstalk  fiddle.  Amid  all 
his  duties,  too,  he  managed  to  take  care  of  my  ham- 
mock, and  have  an  eye  to  my  clothes,  whenever  they 
needed  a  stitch,  which  was  not  seldom. 

The  morning  after  I  had  wiped  away  the  tears  which 
had  wet  my  cheeks  on  parting  from  your  grandmother, 
the  cornet  was  flying    from   the  fore   of  the   Juniata, 


20  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

the  anchor  was  tripped,  and  with  the  new  sails  spread 
to  the  yards,  the  ship  for  the  first  time  felt  their  impulse, 
and  obeying  her  helm,  moved  rapidly  down  the  beauti- 
ful bay.  There  was  a  fleet  of  yachts  and  pilot  boats, 
who  eased  off  their  sheets  to  try  our  rate,  as  we  dashed 
through  the  Narrows  ;  but  before  we  had  rounded  the 
Hook,  they  had  hauled  their  wind,  being  satisfied,  per- 
haps, that  the  corvette's  heels  were  as  long  and  nimble 
as  their  own.  As  the  day  waned,  the  high  hills  of 
Neversink  fell  in  a  bluish  haze  astern  of  us ;  and  when 
the  sun  sank  like  a  globe  of  fire  in  the  west,  there  was 
nought  but  sea  and  sky  between  my  sad  and  aching  gaze 
and  the  land  of  my  birth. 

For  some  days  after  sailing,  the  wind  proved  unfavor- 
able, and  we  beat  up  on  the  inner  edge  of  the  Gulf 
Stream  until  we  could  get  a  fair  start  to  cross  it.  I  was 
stationed  on  the  forecastle  in  the  watch  with  my  friend 
Jack  Gracieux ;  and  although  I  was  sufliciently  verdant, 
I  soon  discovered  that  there  were  others  in  that  acropolis 
of  the  ship  who  were  no  wiser  than  myself.  There  was 
one  incorrigible  greenhorn,  fresh  from  Vermont,  who 
was  a  source  of  unfailing  mirth  ;  in  which  he,  however, 
joined  with  as  much  good  humor  as  the  rest  of  us. 
One  morning,  as  we  were  beating  past  the  sandy  hills 
of  the  Elizabeth  Islands,  he  was  perched  on  the  lee  cat- 
head, holding  his  head  in  both  hands  and  groaning  in 
spirit,  when  "  Ready  about !  "  sang  out  the  lieutenant 
of  the  watch ;  and  the  quick  chirrups  of  the  boatswain 'sf 


«  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  21 

m 

mates  piped,  "  Eeady !  ready  !  "  "  Helm's  a-lee  !  "  came 
from  the  trumpet  as  the  ship  came  up  in  the  wind ;  and 
as  the  rolling  sound  of  the  whistles  followed  to  ^'  rise  the 
head  sheets,"  and  no  one  moved  to  let  them  go,  the  cap- 
tain of  the  forecastle  cried  out  in  a  hoarse  voice,  "  Let 
go  that  jib  sheet,  will  ye  ?  "  The  disconsolate  youth, 
supposing  himself  to  be  the  one  addressed,  yelled  out 
in  reply,  "  I  ain't  a-touchin'  on  it ;  why  can't  you  let  a 
feller  be ! "  This  speech  created  one  universal  roar 
around  the  deck ;  but  the  seasick  Verm  outer  resumed 
the  hold  on  his  head  again,  and  never  spoke  until  the 
ship  had  been  tacked.  Then,  as  she  gathered  way  and 
the  yards  braced  up,  the  officer  again  sang  out  through 
the  trumpet,  "  Haul  the  sheets  flat  aft,  and  trim  her 
sharp."  ^^  Wall!  I  swow,"  exclaimed  the  youth,  as  he 
sprang  up  and  shook  his  fist,  "if  that  chap  with  the 
eppilettes  ever  talked  that  way  to  my  gal,  I'd  spile  his 
face  in  no  time ! "  "  Come  here,  lad,"  said  a  hard- 
featured  old  whaler,  in  a  kindly  tone,  in  an  attempt  to 
draw  off  the  gibes  of  the  sailors,  who  were  laughing 
near ;  "  come  here,  boy ;  sit  by  me,  and  tell  me  where 
you  hail  from,  and  what's  the  trouble."  "  Wall,"  said 
the  person  addressed,  "  you  sea-goin'  folks  hain't  got  no 
feelin',  no  how  !  I  come  from  hum,  and  I  wish  to  all 
fired  smash  I  was  back  agin,  doin'  chores  about  the 
house,  or  hazin'  round  with  Charity  Bunker  and  the 
rest  o'  the  gals  at  a  squantum,  instead  of  aboard 
this  busted  big  boat,  and   livin'  down  there  in  them 


22  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

holes  of  decks,  and  sleepin'  wltli  my  heels  up  amongst 
the  logs ;  and  I  jist  like  a  tarnation  fool  come  to  sea  to 
see  sights ;  but  I  mout  as  well  be  in  an  oyster  cellar, 
with  the  winders  shet,  for  all  the  sights  I'll  ever  see !  " 
He  bolted  this  speech  out  like  a  soliloquy,  in  a  whine 
doleful  enough  to  bring  tears  to  one's  eyes. 

As  he  concluded,  however,  there  was  a  sly  twinkle  in 
the  corners  of  the  green  boy's  little  eyes,  while  he  in- 
dulged the  sailors  with  these  painful  experiences,  which 
might  have  indicated  that  he  was  not  altogether  so  ver- 
dant as  many  supposed  him  to  be.  In  fact,  the  old 
whaler  screwed  his  lower  jaw  about  considerably  in  the 
process  of  masticating  his  tobacco,  and  rather  hinted  to 
one  or  two  of  his  intimate  friends  that  *'  that  air  boy  was 
a  liar,  and  no  mistake  ; "  but  he  continued  in  a  louder 
key,  with,  "  Shipmets,  /  was  born  and  bred  myself  on 
the  back  of  Cape  Cod ;  and  when  I  was  a  little  sucker, 
like  that  eel  boy  on  the  anchor  stock  there,  I  used,  when 
the  season  for  mackerel  was  over,  to  sow  beach  grass  all 
over  the  land,  so  as  to  keep  the  sand  hills  from  blowing 
away  ;  and  the  government  gin  the  money,  too,  to  pay 
for  the  seed.  In  them  days,  I  made  a  few  vyges  in  the 
summer  months,  for  rekeation,  to  Greenland,  aboard  a 
pink-starned  schooner,  arter  seals  ;  and  once,  by  way 
of  speculation,  I  brought  back  some  big  dogs  from 
them  regions.  But  the  climate  hereabouts  didn't  seem 
to  agree  with  them,  for  though  we  kept  'em  all  the  time 
down  in  an  icehouse,  the  animals  died  from  heat,  or 
want  of  exposure  p'haps." 


TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES.  23 

*'  Very  sagacious  creeters,"  chimed  in  an  old  salt, 
who  was  carefully  laying  up  nettles  for  his  hammock 
clews  •  "  I  know'd  a  dog  once  as  would  tell  the  time 
"'  day  by  the  skipper's  nose,  and  would  drink  grog  too 
like  a  Christian." 

"  Bless  ye,"  again  broke  out  the  gaunt,  bony  fisherman, 
"  dogs  isn't  a  circumstance  to  lobsters  for  sagaciousness  ! 
"Why,  mateys,  I  was  on  the  pint  of  tellin'  you,  that  after  my 
trip  to  Greenland  and  the  coast  of  Labrador,  the  old  people 
thought  I  had-  'bout  sowed  my  wild  oats."  "  I  thought 
you  said  grass,"  twanged  in  the  young  mountaineer  ; 
but  the  whaler,,  without  deigning  a  glance  at  the  cub, 
went  on.  "  And  I  settled  down  stiddy  at  the  lobster 
business.  Nat  Pochick  and  me  was  'prentices  in  a 
smack  for  better  nor  five  years,  in  war  times  too,  until 
our  time  was  out,  when  we  bought  the  old  smack  at  a 
bargain,  and  drove  a  lively  trade  in  the  same  business. 
We  used  to  take  the  lobsters,  where  the  best  on  'em 
comes  from,  along  the  moniment  shore,  down  about 
Plymouth,  and  we  ran  'em  through  the  Vineyard  Sound 
to  York,  by  way  of  Montauk.  Well,  one  day,  when  we 
had  the  well  of  the  schooner  as  full  as  ever  it  could  stick 
with  claws  and  feelers,  like  darned  fools  we  tried  to  shorten 
the  distance  by  runnin'  outside  of  Nantucket ;  but  jest  as 
we  got  off  Skonset,  what  should  we  see  but  the  old  Ram- 
illies  seventy -four,  the  admiral's  ship,  a-hidin'  under  Tom 
Nevers'  Head ;  and  in  less  than  a  minute  an  eighteen 
pound  shot  come  spinnin'  across  our  bows,  and  two  big 


24  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

double-banked  boats  was  making  the  water  white  as 
they  pulled  towards  us.  "VVe  know'd,  as  well  as  could 
be,  that  them  Britishers  didn't  want  the  old  smack,  nor 
care  a  snap  for  the  lobsters ;  but  we  did  believe  sartin' 
that  they  wouldn't  mind  clappin'  hold  on  two  sich  likely 
chaps  as  my  partner  and  me,  to  sarve  under  the  king's 
flag.  So  we  up  helm  and  ran  the  smack  and  the  cargo 
slap  on  to  the  Old  Man's  Shoal ;  but  jest  afore  she  struck 
we  jumped  into  the  yawl,  and  paddled  to  the  beach, 
where  we  saved  being  captured.  Well,  the  smack  was 
knocked  into  splinters  by  the  breakers  in  less  than  an 
hour.  Now,  my  hearties,"  said  the  whaler,  as  he  paused 
and  gazed  around  the  group  of  listeners,  ^^  every  blessid 
one  of  them  lobsters  went  back  to  the  ground  where 
they  was  took,  as  much  as  a  hundred  miles  from  the 
reef  where  the  old  craft  was  wracked  !  and  there's  great 
Black  Dan,  of  Marshfield,  will  tell  ye  the  same ;  for  ye 
must  bear  in  mind,  that  every  fisherman  has  his  partik- 
lar  shaped  pegs  to  chock  the  claws  of  the  lobsters  with, 
and  every  one  of  our  lobsters  was  kitched  agin  with  our 
'dentical  pegs  in  'em !  This,  boys,  was  the  last  trip  as 
ever  we  made  in  that  trade,  though  Nat  Pochick,  out  of 
fondness  for  the  things,  established  himself  on  the  old 
Boston  bridge,  where  he  is  to  this  day,  a-bilin',  may  be, 
five  or  six  thousand  lobsters  of  a  mornin',  which  he 
sells  off  like  hot  cakes  in  the  arternoons." 

*^  Tack  ship  "  was  the  order  again  from  the  quarter 
deck,  and  the  fisherman  went  to  his  station.    That  evening 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  25 

the  wind  veered  fair,  and  we  struck  into  the  Gulf  Stream, 
where,  as  every  one  else  does,  if  they  remain  there  long 
enough,  we  caught  a  stiff  gale,  which  lasted  until  we  had 
run  through  the  warm  water  to  the  other  side.  Then  we 
groped  about  a  few  days  in  a  nasty  fog,  when  we  emerged 
once  more  into  open  sea,  and  Vv-ith  dry  flax  overhead,  and 
dry  decks  beneath  our  feet,  we  stood  swiftly  on  our  course. 

I  shall  have  occasion,  Fred,  said  the  Lieutenant  to 
his  attentive  young  listener,  to  describe  to  you  many 
characters  in  these  sketches  ;  but  I  must  of  course  begin 
with  the  captain  of  the  Juniata. 

He  was  a  man  over  sixty,  with  hair  as  white  as  snow ; 
had  as  handsome  a  face  and  regular  features,  and  was  as 
straight  and  proper  a  man  in  build,  as  you  would  care  to 
see.  Out  of  the  sixty  years  he  had  lived,  fifty  had  been 
passed  at  sea.  He  began,  as  you  will  remark,  quite 
early  in  life,  and  his  first  dip  into  the  ocean  was  as  a 
boy  on  board  a  fishing  vessel  on  the  banks  of  New- 
foundland. From  there  he  took  a  leap  to  a  coaster, 
worked  his  way  to  mate  of  a  trader  to  Europe,  and  on 
his  return  home  was  pressed,  just  out  of  port,  on  board 
an  English  frigate,  where  he  served  during  the  French 
war,  until  he  succeeded  in  making  his  escape.  He  then 
roved  about  every  part  of  the  known  world,  and  among 
other  adventures,  once  left  the  Leeward  Islands  of  the 
West  Indies  in  a  schooner  with  yellow  fever  on  board. 
All  the  crew  died,  except  himself  and  a  large  dog ;  and 
vv-hen,  after  six  weeks  drifting  about  the  ocean^  he  was 


I 


g6  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

picked  up  off  Pemambuco,  the  authorities  threw  him  into 
prison   on  suspicion  of  piracy.     When   the  war  broke 
out  in  1812,  he  entered  the  navy  as  saihng  master,  and 
for  his  gallantry  was  soon  after  promoted.     He  seemed 
to  have  been  born   a   sailor,  as  he  had  been  bred  one, 
for  even  his  enemies  —  and   they  were   not   few  —  ad- 
mitted that  he  was  a  very  paragon  of  a  seaman.     He 
appeared    to    perceive   by   intuition    all    the    exigencies 
and    requirements    of  his    profession,    and    in    the  five 
years  that  I  sailed  under  him,  I  positively  aver  that  in 
those  matters  I  never  knew  him  to  make  the  smallest 
error  in   judgment.     He  was  not  a  man  of  education, 
but  of  excellent   natural   parts,  which  enabled  him  al- 
ways to  appear  creditably  and  make  his  flag  respected. 
His  temper,  like  that  of  all  the  old  vikingirs,  was  not 
to  be  relied  upon  ;  in  other  words,  he  was  subject  to  the 
most  ungovernable  passion  at  times,  chiefly  about  trifles ; 
but  on  occasions  of  real  danger,  he  was  as  cool  as  mar- 
ble, his  faculties   at  full  command,  and  his  iron  will  the 
devil  liimself  could    not    shake.      Notwithstanding    his 
very  severe  and  often  harsh  conduct  towards  his  crew, 
they  fairly  worshipped   him ;   for  they  felt   the    master 
spirit  of  the  sailor  in  his  composition,  and  knew  that  he 
never  gave  an  order  that  he  could  not  perform  himself. 
This  is  but  a  very  imperfect    outline   of   our    captain, 
John  Percy  by  name,  but  better  known  among  sailors 
and  in  the  service  generally  as  Mad  Jack. 

To  return,  after  this  long  digression,  to  the  Juniata. 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  27 

We  liacl  for  ten  days  been  reeling  over  towards  the 
AYestern  Islands,  with  a  fair  wind  and  full  sails,  until 
we  came  within  a  hundred  miles  of  the  group,  when 
the  breeze  died  away,  and  left  us  half  becalmed  on  the 
water.  I  had  the  morning  watch,  and  was  paddling 
about  the  wet  decks  in  the  sand  and  water,  with  my 
trousers  rolled  up,  while  the  men  were  scrubbing  and 
holystoning.  There  had  been  a  little  fog  along  the 
horizon  when  the  day  broke  ;  but  as  the  sun  rose  it  was 
dissipated,  and  we  found  ourselves  within  half  a  mile 
of  a  large  merchant  brig.  The  vessel  was  lying  with 
her  topsails  on  the  caps,  seemingly  as  if  anxious  to  spare 
her  canvas,  in  light  winds  or  calms.  There  was  a  va- 
riable, baffling  air  ruffling  about  the  ocean,  and  the  brig 
was  drifted  down  to  within  a  cable's  length  of  the  cor- 
vette ;  but  not  a  soul  was  visible  on  board.  Presently, 
however,  the  sharp  chirp  of  the  boatswain's  mate's  pipe, 
on  our  decks,  in  executing  some  duty  connected  with 
trimming  the  sails,  appeared  to  arouse  attention  on  board 
the  stranger;  for  there  suddenly  sprang  up  over  her 
rail  a  crowd  of  people,  who  began  to  utter  vociferous 
yells,  of  which  the  principal  words  we  caught  were, 
"  thieves  !  murder  !  pirates  1  " 

"  I'm  blessed,"  said  an  old  cuiartermaster  on  the 
lookout,  as  he  methodically  removed  the  spy  glass  from 
his  cheek,  '^  if  that  'ere  craft  ain't  manned  by  women 
and  monkeys."  The  officer  of  the  watch  placed  the 
trumpet  to   his   lips,  and  sung   out  in   the  usual  hail, 


k 


g8  TALES    rOR    THE    MARINES. 

"  Brig  ahoy  !  "  —  "  Pirates  !  "  shouted  a  shrill  voice  in 
re2:)l3'.  "  Silence  !  "  he  shouted  again.  "  Murder  !  " 
replied  a  dozen  voices. 

By  this  time  the  captain  had  come  on  deck,  attracted  by 
the  noise ;  and  giving  a  rapid  glance  at  our  neighbor,  he 
said  to  the  officer  on  duty,  "  Mr.  Hansard,  lower  a  boat, 
go  on  board  that  fellow,  and  find  out  what  all  this  mum- 
mery means,  for  it  seems  to  me  to  be  Bedlam  adrift." 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  a  cutter  ■vvas 
dropped  from  the  quarter  ;  I  took  the  tiller  ;  the  boat 
shoved  off,  and  in  a  minute  we  were  alongside  the 
stranger.  She  was  a  large,  lumbering  merchantman, 
with  the  barnacles  and  grass  hanging  in  clusters  and 
shreds  from  her  copper  and  sides,  while  aloft  every  thing 
denoted  the  utmost  confusion.  We  clambered  up  by  the 
main  chains,  and  reaching  the  rail,  we  saw  that  the  hatches 
had  been  broken  open,  the  contents  of  bales  and  packages 
strewn  about,  water  casks  stove  on  deck,  ropes  and  rigging 
cut  and  dangling  overhead,  while  the  sails  had  been  torn 
and  hacked  bodily  from  the  yards  and  booms.  We  took 
in  all  this  at  a  glance  as  we  swung  over  the  bulwarks  ;  and 
casting  our  eyes  on  the  quarter  deck,  the  first  object  that 
met  our  gaze  was  a  man  stretched  out  at  full  length,  on 
the  raised  trunk  which  was  constructed  in  the  after  part 
of  the  vessel,  with  his  head  resting  on  a  pillow,  while 
his  Tshirt  and  hair  were  stilF  with  blood.  He  was  blue 
and  pallid,  and  breathed  with  difficulty. 

On  the  transoms  abaft  were  two  more  bodies,  covered 


p 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  29 


over  witli  a  fragment  of  old  canvas.  The  faces  were 
not  visible,  but  there  was  a  bare  foot  projecting,  rigid 
and  lifeless,  from  beneath  the  coarse  shroud,  and  the 
deck  was  stained  all  around  with  half-dried  clots  of 
blood. 

There  was  a  thin,  delicate  woman,  seated  on  a  hen- 
coop, at  the  water  ways,  crying  and  moaning  piteously, 
while  she  clasped  to  her  bosom  a  child's  small  beaver 
hat,  Y/ith  a  feather  drooping  white  and  red  on  one  side 
of  it.  Thei'e  was  also  an  ugly  cut  in  the  little  hat, 
which  showed  but  too  plainly  that  some  cruel  work  had 
been  going  on  with  the  innocent  little  head  within  it. 

Around  the  decks  were  nearly  a  dozen  women,  all 
talking,  screaming,  and  crying  together.  After  com- 
manding a  moment's  silence  amid  the  hubbub  and  noise 
going  on,  Hansard  approached  the  man  lying  on  the 
trunk,  whose  eyes  seemed  to  beckon  him  to  come  near, 
and  stooping  beside  the  poor  fellow,  he  asked  in  a  sooth- 
ing tone,  "  Are  you  the  master  of  this  brig  ?  and  what 
has  been  the  cause  of  all  this  horrid  work  ?  "  The  man 
slowly  nodded  to  the  first  question,  and  then  with  a  gut- 
tering gasp,  as  if  the  words  were  partly  escaping  from 
his  throat,  painfully  murmured,  "  She's  the  Arabella, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-two  days  from  Sidney,  New 
South  Wales,  with  a  few  return  female  convicts  aboard. 
Last  night  boarded  by  a  Spanish  pirate  —  brig  —  killed 
all,  I  believe,  but  the  women,  and  robbed  the  cargo.'* 
Here  he  paused,  and  then,  with  a  gurgling  rattle  of  his 
3* 


30  TALES    FOR    THE    MARI^fES. 

lungs,  he  whispered,  "  My  throat  is  cut ;  I  want  a 
surgeon." 

*''  Keep  quiet,  my  good  fellow,  for  five  seconds," 
exclaimed  Hansard,  as  he  sprang  with  a  bound  over  the 
bulwarks  into  the  cutter  ;  and  with  an  urgent  order  to 
the  crew,  the  oars  dipped  into  the  water,  and  the  boat 
bounded  like  a  javelin  back  to  the  corvette.  Mean- 
while, I  did  all  in  my  power  to  assuage  the  grief  of  the 
women,  and  comfort  them  with  the  assurance  that  help 
would  soon  be  sent  on  board  ;  and  in  fact,  the  boat  re- 
turned immediately  with  the  surgeons  and  captain,  and 
they  were  soon  followed  by  the  hospital  steward  and  his 
assistants,  with  bandages,  instruments,  and  restoratives. 

A  gleam  of  pleasure  lighted  up  the  eyes  of  the  poor 
skipper ;  but  I  heard  the  surgeon  say  to  the  captain,  as 
he  turned  av/ay  from  bathing  a  dreadful  gash  in  his 
throat,  "  The  man  has  lost  too  much  blood ;  I  fear  I  can't 
save  him  ;  however,  we'll  try.  Hei-e,  younker,"  he  said 
to  me,   "  keep  his  head  firm,  while  I  sew  up  this  wound." 

Accordingly,  I  kneeled  dovvm  and  carefully  smoothing 
back  his  matted  hair,  where  there  was  another  loner  g-ash 
which  laid  bare  the  skull,  the  doctor  began  to  pass  the 
needle.  At  this  moment,  the  poor  fellow's  eyes  rolled 
frightfully,  and  uttering,  '^  My  wife  —  Nelly  dear,"  — 
a  convulsion  shook  his  frame,  the  threads  snapped,  and 
the  blood  began  to  gurgle  from  his  throat. 

The  surgeon,  however,  made  another  trial,  and  had 
nearly  finished  sewing   up  the  gap,  when  the  wounded 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  31 

skipper  was  again  seized  witli  violent  convulsions,  and 
with  his  teeth  rasping  and  grating  together,  he  struggled 
for  a  minute  in  our  grasp,  until,  with  prodigious  exer- 
tion, he  arched  his  body  upwards,  resting  upon  his  heels 
and  head,  and  then,  with  one  deep-drawn  respiration,  a  dark 
volume  of  blood  burst  from  his  mouth  and  throat,  and 
he  fell  stone  dead  upon  the  deck.  The  hot  salt  shower  cov- 
ered my  face,  and  was  driven  down  my  throat  through 
my  half-open  mouth.  I  had  just  strength  left  to  save 
myself  from  falling  in  a  fainting  fit,  as  an  active  little 
Irishman,  named  Mickey  Maginnis,  dashed  a  bucket  of  sea 
water  all  over  me,  exclaiming,  "  There,  thin,  my  darlint 
of  a  doctor,  it's  salts  you're  wantin'  to  revive  ye ;  "  and 
then  leading  me  to  a  seat  on  the  transoms,  I  silently  re- 
garded the  melancholy  scene  before  me. 

In  the  course  of  researches  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
vessel  forward,  two  men  were  ferreted  out,  more  dead 
than  alive,  not,  however,  from  wounds  or  maltreatment, 
but  from  abject  fear ;  and  indeed  it  was  some  minutes 
before  they  felt  assured  that  we  did  not  mean  them 
mischief  After  a  patient  investigation,  nothing  of  con- 
sequence could  be  gleaned  from  them,  either  descrip- 
tive of  the  vessel  which  had  boarded  them,  or  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  pirates  themselves.  We  learned  that 
the  brig  was  bound  to  England,  and  that  the  crew  con- 
sisted of  nine  men,  who  had  all,  with  two  exceptions, 
been  killed  or  thrown  overboard.  The  women  were 
exceedingly  communicative ;  but  even  they  could  give  us 


S£  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

no  clew  to  the  detection  of  the  villains  who  had  com- 
mitted the  atrocity.  All  they  could  remember  was, 
that  while  the  vessel  lay  becalmed,  late  in  the  evening, 
two  boats  came  alongside,  crowded  with  armed  men,  and 
speaking  a  language  they  did  not  understand ;  that  they 
immediately  began  breaking  open  the  hatches,  but  not 
finding  much  of  value,  they  broached  a  puncheon  of 
spirits,  and  then,  after  stabbing  and  killing  the  crew,  ill 
using  the  women,  and  putting  what  they  wanted  in  their 
boats,  they  finally  cut  the  rigging  and  sails,  stove  the 
water  casks,  and  went  away. 

While  this  narration  was  going  on  in  detached  sen- 
tences, —  for  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  prevent  fewer 
than  three  of  the  women  talking  at  once,  —  the  forlorn 
creature  whom  I  first  observed  sitting  on  the  hencoop, 
absorbed  in  grief,  suddenly  turned  up  her  blood-shot 
eyes,  with  a  black  defined  ring  beneath  the  sockets,  to 
the  captain's  face,  and  with  a  wild  energy,  as  if  she  was 
trying  to  shut  out  something  frightful  from  her  vision, 
she  exclaimed,  "  Yes,  sir,  I  can  give  you  some  informa- 
tion about  the  wretches.  When  they  stabbed  the  poor 
mate,  who  lies  dead  there  under  the  sail,  and  while  my 
darling  little  innocent  Charley  tried  to  avert  the  murder- 
ous blows,  the  villain  who  seemed  to  be  the  leader  of 
the  band  snatched  him  from  my  side,  and  nearly  cut  the 
child's  head  in  two.  I  saw  from  the  light  from  the  box 
there,"  pointing  to  the  binnacle,  now  capsized  and  the 
compass  destroyed,   "  that  he  had  a  heavy  scar  from  his 


I 


TALES    FOP.    THE    MAKIXES. 


ear  to  his  ciiin ;  and  when  he  tore  my  poor,  dying,  gasp- 
ing boy  from  my  arms  and  threw  him  into  the  sea,  I 
saw  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  as  I  looked  to  see  the  last 
of  my  child,  the  word  '  Clara '  painted  on  one  of  their 
boats." 

Here  the  poor  creature  sobbed  in  very  anguish,  and 
clasping  the  little  hat,  wet  with  her  offspring's  life  blood, 
to  her  heart,  she  cried,  "  O  my  God,  my  God  !  to  kill 
my  boy  ! " 

Old  Percy's  eyes  gleamed  like  Congreve  rockets,  as 
he  took  the  suffering  and  bereaved  woman  kindly  by  the 
hand,  and  seating  himself  beside  her,  tried  to  allay  her 
grief,  whfle  the  fierce  looks  and  set  teeth  of  the  Juniata's 
men,  as  they  stood  grouped  together  in  deathlike  silence, 
plainly  showed  what  would  be  the  fate  of  the  villains  in 
the  event  of  a  rencounter. 

"  Holy  mother  !  "  said  Mickey  Maginnis,  as  he  crossed 
himself  and  raised  his  clinched  hands  and  eyes  aloft ; 
."but,"  he  added,  savagely,  "  be  Jasus,  the  time  '11  come 
yet,  boys." 

"  Be  a  good  prophet,  Mickey,  and  we'll  make  'em  all 
spout  blood,"  broke  in  the  whaler,  as  he  stood  with  his 
arms  locked  tight  together,  gazing  upon  the  pinched 
blue  face  of  the  dead  skipper  ;  "  I'd  give  a  year's  arn- 
ings  jest  to  be  laid  bows  on  to  the  chap  as  did  that." 

We  were  left  to  conjecture  the  direction  in  which  the 
pirate  had  steered ;  but  as  no  time  was  to  be  lost,  a  large 
gang  of  hands  were  forthwith  sent  from  the  corvette. 


34:  TALES    FOR    THE    MAPwINES. 

The  rigging  of  the  brig  was  spliced,  a  fresh  suit  of  sails 
bent,  gear  rove,  and  after  decently  burying  the  dead, 
supplying  the  vessel  with  provisions,  water,  and  a  few 
comforts  for  the  women,  a  crew  was  put  on  board  of  her 
in  charge  of  a  mate,  and  he  was  ordered  to  proceed  to 
England,  and  deliver  her  up  to  the  owners. 

Here  the  narrator  drew  a  long  breath,  after  his  exer- 
tions, and  desired  his  audience  not  to  allow  the  interest 
and  excitement  of  the  story  to  destroy  their  sleep  until 
opportunity  should  offer  for  resuming  it. 


A-/ 


CHAPTER    II. 

The  Lieutenant  was  again  at  his  post,  and  with  his 
ever-attentive  little  nephew  beside  him,  he  picked  up 
the  thread  of  his  yarn,  bowed  to  the  ladies,  and  thus 
began  :  — 

The  duty  of  refitting  the  English  brig  detained  us 
nearly  all  day ;  but  towards  night  a  breeze  sprang  up, 
and  parting  with  our  lonely  consort,  we  made  all  sail, 
and  steered  to  the  eastward,  intending  to  look  into  the 
Azores.  The  following  morning  we  ran  between  the 
high  mountainous  islands  of  this  picturesque  group,  lay 
a  few  hours  at  Fayal,  and  then,  with  the  anchors  again  at 
the  bows,  we  bore  away  for  iMadeira. 

I  shall  never  forget,  Fred,  my  first  peep  at  that 
lovely  island.  I  was  swinging,  away  up  aloft,  at  the 
sUngs  of  the  foretopsail  yard,  when  we  made  the  land  — 
a  dark,  dim  outhne  at  first ;  but  by  and  by  the  bluff  prom- 
ontories rose  in  their  green  and  lovely  freshness,  and 
rolling  back  stretched  upwards  the  corrugated  faces  of 
the  mountains,  with  their  summits  clear,  while  just  be- 
low lay  fringed,  in  graceful  folds  of  clouds,  a  snowy 
mantle,  like  a  point  lace  berthe  around  a  woman's  shoul- 
ders.    Then,  as  we  edged  in  closer  to  the  land,  while 

(35) 


36  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 

the  vineyards  and  gardens,  and  picturesquely  posed 
houses  and  churches,  became  more  plainly  visible,  and 
the  sea  embroidering  the  black  rocks  with  sparkling 
foam  at  their  feet,  I  fancied  that  at  last  I  beheld  the 
true  realms  of  enchantment,  and  would  perhaps  have 
continued  in  the  delusion,  had  not  I  heard  the  loud 
summons  of  "  Hands,  bring  ship  to  anchor,"  and  very 
expeditiously  tripped  down  the  rigging  to  my  station. 

That  afternoon  we  came  to  iii  the  Roads  of  Funchal  — 
an  exposed  anchorage  at  best,  out  of  which  ships  are 
obliged  not  unfrequently  to  make  a  bolt,  with  the  wind 
from  the  southward,  as  had  been  the  case  with  one  of 
our  own  cruisers  the  day  preceding  our  arrival.  We 
had  the  pleasure,  however,  of  attending  a  beautiful  ball, 
designed  for  her,  on  which  occasion  we  flattered  ourselves 
that  the  providers  of  the  entertainment  did  not  distinguish 
any  difference  between  the  officers  of  the  two  ships. 

As  vou  may  imagine,  I  w^as  ready  a  full  hour  before 
the  appointed  time ;  with  hair  brushed  as  smooth  as 
glass,  a  bit  of  shirt  collar  just  peering  over  my  little 
blue  dress  coat,  white  trousers,  and  pumps. 

The  captain  had  gone  on  shore  early  in  the  after- 
noon to  dine,  and  I  was  to  follow  at  eight  o'clock. 
Accordingly  I  stepped  into  the  gig,  and  bidding  the 
cockswain  to  "  strike  out,"  the  long  ashen  oars  bent  as 
they  plied  the  waves,  in  pulling  into  the  landing. 

Now,  you  must  know  that  there  are  several  landings 
in  Funchal — one  near  the  castle,  and  another  on  the 


TALES   FOR   THE    MARINES.  37 

beach  abreast  the  town  ;  and  as  the  latter  chanced  to 
be  to  my  taste,  I  decided  to  disembark  there.  Well, 
aided  by  oars,  wind,  and  sea,  not  many  minutes  elapsed 
before  the  gig's  keel  touched  the  sand,  and  I  sprang 
with  a  bound  of  delight,  as  I  hoped,  upon  the  Island 
of  Madeira ;  but,  to  my  horror,  I  leaped  plump  upon 
the  point  of  the  bayonet  of  a  Portuguese  soldier ;  and 
his  gruif  hail  of  "  Who  goes  there  ? "  in  his  own  lingo, 
greeted  my  astonished  senses,  as  I  was  hurled  backwards 
into  the  dirty  seaweed  and  water,  rolling  over  and  over 
upon  the  brink  of  the  surf. 

I  recovered  my  legs,  knee  deep  in  water,  just  in 
time  to  perceive  a  boat  hook  describe  a  rapid  gyration 
in  the  air,  and  to  hear  the  sound  of  a  sharp  crack,  as  it 
brought  up  with  stunning  force  against  the  head  and  red 
cap  of  the  warrior,  who  had  received  me  on  the  end  of 
his  bayonet,  while,  with*  an  irate  roar,  the  cockswain  of 
the  boat  ground  out,  between  his  teeth,  "  Ye  dam  kiar 
Portingee  garlic  eatin'  swab,  take  that !  " 

In  a  moment  the  boat's  crew  leaped  on  shore,  and 
with  the  blades  of  their  sixteen  feet  oars  kept  a  wide 
circle  clear,  while  the  cockswain  picked  me  up  in  his 
stalwart  arms,  and  found  that  the  padding  of  my  little 
uniform  coat  had  saved  me  from  all  harm  save  a  duckinsr. 

The  sentry  had  only  time  to  utter  one  yell  for  suc- 
cor before  he  was  stretched    speechless  on  the  beach  ; 
but  in  a  moment  down  came  running  a  squad  of  soldiers, 
with  an  officer  at  their  side,  and,  upon  a  parley  being 
4 


38  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

sounded,  it  was  explained  to  us  that  we  were  supposed 
to  be  smugglers,  from  our  having  landed  at  the  wrong 
place ;  and  accordingly,  in  company  with  the  bruised 
sentinel,  I  was  escorted  to  the  guard  house.  There,  a 
message  having  been  despatched  to  our  consul,  a  clerk 
was  deputed  to  see  me  released  from  durance  ;  and  shortly 
afterwards  I  was  ushered  into  a  spacious  bedroom  at  the 
consulate,  divested  of  my  saturated  sandy  raiment,  attired 
in  a  suit  of  brown  linen,  a  thousand  sizes  too  big  for  me, 
and  pronounced  in  excellent  rig  for  the  ball.  Thereupon 
I  was  led  to  the  dining  hall,  where,  a  chair  being  placed 
for  me  beside  the  genial  host,  and  the  incident  attending 
the  rent  in  my  little  dress  coat  narrated,  I  was  regaled 
with  wine  and  fruit,  until  the  crash  of  the  violins  and 
tooting  of  the  flageolets  in  the  ball  room  gave  signal  for 
leaving  the  table. 

I  shall  ever  bear  in  mind  that  beautiful  ball  room, 
festooned  with  the  rarest  and  richest  wreaths  and  ropes 
of  roses,  and  decorated  with  tall  vases  filled  with  bril- 
liant leaves  and  flowers  —  then  the  soft  music,  and  the 
charming  women  with  twinkling  feet,  the  chicken  soup 
handed  round  in  teacups  at  the  close,  the  palanquins 
standing  ready  in  the  court  yards  ;  and  when  the  partings 
were  made,  the  sweet  smiles,  the  kind  looks,  the  basket- 
work  of  fingers,  the  murmured  adieus,  —  all  has  rested 
on  my  memory  as  never  a  ball  has  since. 

Of  a  verity,  the  next  morning,  when  I  had  been 
routed  out  from  the  snow-white  dimity  of  the  little  iron 


■^ 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  39 

bedstead  where  I  had  passed  the  night,  dreaming  de- 
liciously,  and  when  I  had  again  mounted  my  Hnen 
jacket,  which  reached  to  my  knees,  and  was  seated  at 
breakfast  beneath  the  broad,  cool,  and  fragrant  arbor  of 
vines  ;  where  the  heavy  clusters  of  grapes  hung  so  lus- 
ciously and  temptingly  in  their  juicy  husks  over  my 
head,  I  still  had  no  thoughts  or  ears  for  aught  else 
save  the  satin  slippers  whirling  around  the  ball  room, 
the  intoxicating  music,  ("  Wine,  you  mean,"  said  one  of 
the  ladies  of  the  party  to  the  Lieutenant,)  and  the  spar- 
kling eyes  which  flashed  so  brightly  the  night  before. 

We  M^ere  but  a  few  days  at  Madeira,  and  all  the 
time  I  lived  as  it  were  in  an  Elysium  of  delight. 
When  we  came  to  bid  good-by  to  the  kind  consul,  the 
fruit  and  the  wines,  with  the  last  notes  of  the  military 
bands  resting  on  our  ears,  and  finally  when  we  sailed 
away  from  the  fertile  slopes  of  Funchal,  and  the  pilot, 
with  his  little  peaked  red  cap,  went  over  the  side,  I  felt 
as  if  I  had  lost  my  best  friend  on  earth. 

I  recovered,  however,  as  I  am  led  to  believe  most 
others  do  from  the  like  disorder,  and  the  next  day,  you 
would,  perhaps,  have  been  surprised  to  see  with  what 
avidity  I  could  sit  down  to  enjoy  the  steaming  lobscouse, 
and  "  flapjacks  "  *  laid  before  us  on  our  mess  table. 


*  "  Then  there  is  a  thing  called  wheaten  floure,  which  the  cookes  do 
mingle  with  water,  egges,  spice,  and  other  trtigicall,  magicall  inchantnients ; 
and  then  they  put  it  by  little  and  little  into  a  frying  pan  of  boiling  suet, 
where  it  makes  a  confused,  dissmall  hissing,  (like  the  Lerna;n  snakes  in 
the  reeds  of  Acheron,  Styx,  or  Plegeton,)  untill  at  last,  by  the  skill  of  the 


40  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

The  second  day  out  I  had  the  morning  watch ;  and 
as  the  men  were  clearing  up  the  ropes,  previous  to 
washing  down  the  decks,  "  Sail  ho  !  "  sung  out  the  look- 
out from  the  foretopsail  yard.  Before  the  words  of 
^'  Where  away  ?  "  had  fairly  passed, the  lips  of  the  officer 
of  the  watch,  "  Sail  ho  ! "  again  cried  the  man,  with  a 
full,  melodious  voice,  as  if  he  did  not  have  a  chance 
every  day  of  airing  that  organ,  and  wished  to  make  the 
most  of  the  present  opportunity.  "  Where  away  ?  "  was 
repeated,  through  the  trumpet.  "  Two  points  on  the 
starboard  bow,  sir."  "D'ye  make  her  out?"  *'Yes, 
sir,  a  brig  on  the  wind,  on  the  port  tack."  "  And  the 
other  ?  "  "  Here  away,  on  the  port  beam,  a  small  fellow, 
sir,  looks  like  a  felucca."  "  Very  good,"  said  the  officer 
of  the  v»^atch :  "  Young  gentleman,  report  two  sails  in 
sight  to  the  captain." 

The  trade  wind,  as  usual  in  these  latitudes,  had  died 
away  with  the  rising  sun ;  the  corvette  had  out  all  her 
port  steering  sails,  which  sagged  and  bagged  down, 
without  their  bellies  full,  as  she  sauntered  leisurely  upon 
the  water ;  while  the  crests  of  the  lazy  waves  toppled 
over  with  a  swash,  as  they  broke  against  the  sides  or 
counter. 

By  nine  o'clock  it  was  almost  calm,  although  the 
trade  clouds  began  to  puff  up  like  the  cheeks  of  Cupid, 
clearly  indicating  that  we  should  have  a  steady  strain  on 

cooke,  it  is  transformed  into  the  forme  of  a  Flip  Jack,  cal'd  a  pancake, 
which  ominous  incantation  the  ignorante  people  doe  devoure  very  gree- 
dilye."  —  Taylor,  the  Water  Poet. 


TALES    FOR   THE  MARINES.  41 

the  canvas,  when  the  declining  sun  should  go  over  the 
foreyard,  after  meridian. 

The  small  vessel,  meanwhile,  had  tacked,  and  laying 
across  the  little  wind  there  was,  she  felt  it  sensibly,  and 
came  down  under  our  quarter,  where  she  hoisted  Eng- 
lish colors  and  pennant.  She  proved  to  be  a  large  cut- 
ter, with  a  brace  of  jibs,  running  a  mile  out  beyond  her 
bows,  and  a  great  mainsail  and  gafftopsail,  which  made 
a  shade  on  the  water  twice  as  big  as  her  hull.  As  the 
cross  of  St.  George  came  dancing  gayly  out  in  the  sun- 
light, the  tack  of  her  mainsail  wtis  triced  up,  like  a  gull 
with  its  wing  broke,  the  gafftopsail  fell  becalmed  in 
wake  of  the  mainsail,  the  outermost  jib  rattled  down, 
while  the  inner  one  was  hauled  to  windward  —  all  in 
ship-shape,  man-of-war  style  ;  and  there  she  lay  with 
her  heavy  straight  up  and  down  bow,  black  wales,  and 
red  ribbon  around  her  side,  evidently  wishing  to  com- 
municate. 

The  other  vessel  was  still  a  great  way  off,  and  standing 
on  the  same  course  as  Avhen  she  had  been  first  reported. 

In  courtesy  to  our  little  friend,  our  own  ensign  was 
run  up,  a  boat  lowered,  and  I  was  sent  oh  board  to  offer 
any  marine  courtesies  that  might  be  desired.  I  was 
charged  also  with  a  small  packet  of  letters,  which  are 
always  kept  ready  by  the  spooney  chaps  of  a  ship,  for  a 
chance  to  send  to  their  sweethearts. 

The  weather  was  quite  warm  ;  and  shading  my  eyes 
with  my  cap,  I  lay  back  in  the  stern  sheets,  shoved  off, 
4* 


42  TALES   rOR  THE    MARINES. 

and  soon  ran  alongside  the  cutter.  A  pair  of  snow- 
white  man  ropes  were  dangling  over  the  side,  which  I 
grasped,  and  sticking  my  toes  into  the  battens,  I  gained 
the  rail  and  stepped  on  deck.  An  awning  was  spread 
fore  and  aft,  striped  with  blue  and  white,  and  scolloped 
gayly  around  the  overhanging  curtains.  As  I  raised  my 
cap,  on  touching  the  vessel's  deck,  I  was  received  by  a 
tallish  chap,  —  evidently  not  a  seaman,  —  who  appeared 
to  me  a  cross  between  a  pastry  cook  and  a  hair  dresser. 
He  was  clothed  in  white  duck  trousers,  with  a  napkin 
stuck  in  the  waistband,  a  profusely  ruffled  shirt,  a  blue 
jacket  covered  with  pearl  buttons,  as  thick  as  peas,  and 
a  natty  straw  hat,  cocked  on  one  side  of  a  mass  of  oiled 
and  scented  ringlets.  Forward  of  the  m^st  were  a  score 
of  fine,  handsome,  bushy-whiskered  sailors,  attired  after 
a  similar  fashion  to  the  person  who  received  me,  with 
the  exception  of  the  napkin  and  jacket,  but  with  the 
addition  of  a  broad  black  ribbon  around  their  hats,  on 
which  was  marked,  in  gilt  letters,  the  word  "  Hilde- 
brand."  Over  each  bow  was  a  small  popgun  of  a  brass 
swivel,  burnished  like  gold,  more,  however,  for  show 
than  use.  In  other  respects  the  vessel  appeared  a  good, 
wholesome  craft,  and  she  was  as  neat  as  a  pin. 

"  Can  I  see  the  captain  ?  "  I  asked,  as  I  bowed  to  the 
individual  with  the  perfumed  cuils.  *'  Certainly,  sir," 
he  said  with  extreme  and  even  patronizing  politeness,  and 
an  attempt  to  conceal  a  smile  —  "  step  this  way,  sir  — 
down  the  companion  way  there,  sir."     So,  seizing  a  round 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  43 

brass  baluster,  I  took  half  a  turn  down  the  raahogany 
stairs,  when  a  bell  sounded,  and  a  polished  door  swung 
back,  by  means  of  a  little  elf  of  a  miniature  sailor,  whose 
hand  could  hardly  reach  up  to  the  door  knob.  He  was  so 
very  small  a  specimen,  and  withal  so  accurately  rigged 
in  sailor  costume,  that  —  albeit  I  was  of  no  great  bulk 
myself  in  those  days  —  I  started  back  from  the  pretty 
pygmy  in  absolute  surprise. 

"  Don't  be  afraid  of  Boatswain  Baby,  sir,"  I  heard  a 
sweet  voice  exclaim  ;  "  he's  not  in  the  least  vicious  ;  walk 
in  and  be  seated."  Recovering  myself  a  little,  I  stepped 
into  an  elegantly  furnished  saloon,  with  comfortable 
sofas  and  lounges  every  where,  a  rose  wood  cabinet 
piano,  and  a  roll  of  India  matting  on  the  deck,  while  a 
lady's  work  table  stood  in  a  recess,  and  parasols,  sun 
bonnets,  and  other  feminine  gear  were  strewn  around. 
The  sides  of  the  apartment  were  of  pure  white  marble 
paint,  and  they  shone  like  porcelain,  while  golden- 
rimmed  panels  were  let  in  with  exquisite  medallion 
pictures.  The  saloon  was  lighted  by  a  long,  raised  sky- 
light from  the  deck  above,  shaded  by  rich  green  silk 
curtains,  while  two  massive  lamps,  confined  by  neat 
brass  frames,  swung  at  either  end.  After  the  severe 
simplicity  of  a  man-of-war's  furniture  and  fittings,  the 
display  of  this  little  floating  palace  rather  bewildered 
me ;  and  as  I  glanced  up  into  the  face  of  the  tall  and 
beautiful  woman  who  stood  before  me,  I  stammered  out, 
**  This,  I   believe,  is  His   majesty's  packet  —  a " 


44  TALES    FOE.   THE    MARINES. 

'^  O,  no,"  replied  the  lady  ;  "  quite  a  mistake  ;  it  is  my 
majesty's  yacht,  Hildebrand.  I  am  the  Countess  Bel- 
lina.  My  husband,  poor  man,  I  left  the  other  day  at 
Madeira,  in  ill  health,  and  I  am  now,  as  you  see,  on  a 
cruise  by  myself."  She  said  all  this  in  a  breath,  took 
me  by  the  hand,  and  patting  my  head,  she  led  me  to  a 
seat,  so  that,  not  being  a  lad  of  much  natural  diffidence, 
I  felt  at  home  in  a  moment.  "  Here,  boatswain,"  she 
added,  "  take  this  officer's  sword,  and  touch  the  gong  for 
Kitty."  The  small  sailor  threw  his  fist  up  to  his  little 
chip  hat,  out  of  respect  to  the  mandate,  obeyed  the 
order  with  considerable  alacrity,  and  presently  there 
came  a  tap  at  a  lattice-work  door,  which  led  forward, 
and  the  handsome  hostess,  excusing  herself  a  moment, 
went  out,  leaving  me  to  be  entertained  by  the  boatswain. 
She  had  scarcely  closed  the  door,  however,  before  I 
heard  her  say,  in  audible  whispers,  "  Kitty,  I've  a 
Yankee  reefer  on  board.  He  looks  half  starved,  poor 
little  thing,  and  you  may  lay  some  luncheon  in  the 
dining  room  —  a  bit  of  cake  and  a  glass  of  sangaree. 
I'll  engage  he'll  eat  it." 

I  listened  to  this  brief  harangue,  I  must  admit,  with 
a  slight  touch  of  indignation  ;  but  when  the  lovely  skip- 
per returned,  she  looked  so  charming,  and  smiled  and 
chatted  so  pleasantly,  that  I  soon  forgot  it.  In  a  few 
moments  she  asked  me  to  attend  her  to  the  dining  room, 
and  passing  through  a  curtained  doorway  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  saloon,  we  entered  an  apartment  which 


TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES.  45" 

occupied  the  entire  beam  of  the  vessel,  ranged  around 
with  sideboards,  and  swinging  wicker-work  cases  filled 
with  crystal  goblets,  china,  and  other  appurtenances  for 
eating  and  drinking,  in  great  profusion.  There  were 
quantities  of  large  cane-built  chairs,  and  settees  too,  and 
a  neat  canvas  windsail,  with  four  legs,  which  poured 
refreshing  currents  of  air  around,  from  the  main  trunk 
above  the  deck. 

The  boatswain  followed  close  at  our  heels,  astride  of 
my  sword,  which  he  seemed  to  be  delighted  with ;  and 
though  he  tripped  himself  up  several  times,  it  did  not  in 
the  least  destroy  his  zest  for  the  amusement.  Presently 
there  came  another  tap  at  a  lattice  door,  which  the  boat- 
swain again  assisted  in  tugging  open,  and  in  came  as  tidy 
a  little  craft  as  ever  danced  over  the  ocean.  She  carried 
in  her  hands  a  large  silver  waiter,  crowded  with  great 
bunches  of  grapes,  yellow  sugar  bananas,  green  avocado 
pears,  ripe  figs  embalmed  in  their  own  dewy  leaves, 
while  a  bottle  of  claret  reared  his  black  neck,  in  a  vio- 
lent cold  perspiration,  flanked  by  a  bulbous-shaped 
earthen  vessel  which  I  shrewdly  surmised  contained 
sangaree.  But  this  tempting  repast  was  not  to  com- 
pare with  the  pretty  Kitty  herself.  By  jingo  !  such  a 
full,  rounded  counter  the  witch  had,  and  such  a  mass  of 
brown  tresses  twisted  around  her  elegantly-formed  head, 
over  two  roguish  eyes  and  a  rosy  mouth ;  but  such  a 
pair  of  cat-heads!  "Cat  what?"  ejaculated  Fred's 
grandmother,  as  she  was    listening   attentively   to   this 


L 


46  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

extraordinary  narrative.  '^  It's  a  nautical  phrase,  ma'am," 
rejoined  the  Lieutenant ;  and  he  went  on  rapidly  with 
the  thread  of  his  narrative.  Well,  there  I  sat,  chatting 
with  the  lovely  captain  in  petticoats,  stowing  away 
bread  and  cheese,  cake  and  fruit,  and  between  whiles 
swigging  at  the  claret  and  sangaree,  for  the  Lord  only 
knows  how  long.  Just  as  I  began  to  reflect  that  nature 
abhorred  a  vacuum,  and  that  my  own  was  nearly  full,  and 
that  peradventure,  it  would  be  pleasant  to  take  a  little 
snooze  on  one  of  the  luxurious  sofas  of  the  saloon  — 
bang  !  I  heard  a  loud  report  from  a  heavy  gun,  that 
seemed  to  have  been  fired  with  a  forty-two  pound  shot 
slap  into  my  ear.  I  sprang  off  the  cane-built  chair  like 
a  rocket.  "  Why,  what  can  that  be  ?  "  exclaimed  my 
fair  companion,  as  she  pulled  a  cord  overhead,  and  the 
face  of  the  man  in  the  pearl  button  jacket  appeared  at 
the  side  of  the  glass  skylight.  "  SteAvard,  what  noise 
was  that  ?  "  "If  you  please,  milady,"  he  replied  with 
a  simper,  "  the  cockswain  of  the  boat  alongside  says  as 
'ow  there's  been  a  signal  flying  ever  so  long  for  the  Httle 
officer  to  return  to  the  ship,  and  no  attention  being  paid 
to  it,  they've  fired  a  gun ;  and,  milady,  there  seems  to  be 
a  bobbery  on  board  of  the  man-of-war  too." 

"  O  Lord !  "  said  I,  with  a  sigh  from  the  very  bottom  of 
my  heart,  as  I  made  a  plunge  for  my  sword,  and  upset 
the  small  boatswain  in  the  effort,  "won't  I  catch  it!" 
"No,  no!  never  fear,  my  child,"  said  the  beauteous 
skipper ;  "  your  captain  won't  be  such  a  very  terrible 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  47 

old  Turk  as  to  chide  you  for  obeying  the  orders  of  a 
lady  on  the  high  seas  ;  and  here,"  she  added,  as  she 
hastily  snatched  up  a  large  envelope,  and  pushed  a  news- 
paper inside  of  it,  and  then  quickly  scribbled  an  address 
upon  the  back ;  "  tell  the  captain,"  she  continued, 
*'  that  I  detained  you  to  write  this  important  despatch 
to  the  admiral,  and  if  he  chance  to  fall  in  with  him,  I 
wish  he  would  be  so  good  as  to  see  it  carefully  delivered. 
It  will  be  a  grateful  surprise,  no  doubt,"  she  added,  with 
a  light,  merry  laugh  ;  "  for  the  despatch  is  highly  im 
portant,  and  I  never  saw  the  admiral  in  all  my  life." 
Then  resuming  with  a  more  serious  tone,  she  said, 
"^  Give  my  compliments  to  your  captain,  and  say  that 
there  was  a  very  suspicious  looking  vessel,  my  people 
.think,  on  our  track  last  night,  and  she  w^as  seen  again 
dov/n  to  leeward  early  this  morning.  Thej*e !  that  will 
do,"  as  she  shook  me  heartily  by  the  flipper  ;  "  now  go  ; 
but  not  that  way,  my  young  friend,"  as  she  perceived 
me  moving  in  the  wrong  direction ;  "  the  other  door, 
there;  Kitty  will  show  you  the  stairs." 

I  don't  precisely  remember  how  the  affair  happened,  I 
was  so  confused  and  dumbfounded  by  the  sangaree,  and 
the  fears  of  a  reprimand  from  the  fierce  old  Percy.  I 
believe,  however,  that  when  I  reached  the  companion 
way,  the  yacht  gave  a  lurch  at  the  moment,  and  to  save 
myself  from  falling,  I  precipitated  myself  into  the  pretty 
mate's  arms,  and  then,  in  my  panic,  I  clasped  my  own 
around   her   neck,  and  in  the  most    brotherly   manner 


48  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 

began  to  kiss  her.  I  remember  that  she  gave  a  little 
.  scream  as  I  tore  myself  away  ;  and  as  I  tumbled  over 
the  side  into  my  boat,  I  heard  the  gentle  Kitty  exclaim 
to  her  mistress,  "  Well,  milady,  if  all  them  Yankee 
middies  have  half  the  imperence  of  that  little  chap, 
they  had  better  be  weaned  before  they  go  home." 

"  Sensible  young  woman,"  observed  one  of  the  matrons 
around  the  table.  *'  Quite  so,"  chimed  in  the  other 
ladies  in  a  low  chorus.  "  Fred,"  said  the  Lieutenant, 
as  he  directed  his  conversation  to  the  lad,  "  Fred,  I  am 
willing  to  avow  that  nature  has  blessed  me  with  an  affec- 
tionate disposition ;  but  it  is  equally  true  that  in  the 
whole  course  of  my  existence,  so  great  has  been  my 
propriety,  that  I  never  even  attempted  to  offer  a  chaste 
salute  to  a  chambermaid."  "  Without  getting  your  face 
slapped,"  suggested  a  pert  young  minx  beside  the  nar- 
rator. So  the  amiable  Lieutenant,  feeling  convinced  it 
was  useless  to  stem  the  current  of  opinion  running  so 
strongly  against  him,  without  concluding  the  moral 
maxims  he  was  about  to  impart  to  his  nephew,  proceeded 
without  more  ado  with  his  adventures. 

On  leaving  the  Hildebrand,  I  looked  around  for  the 
Juniata,  and  beheld  her  a  mile  off,  with  the  men  laying 
on  the  starboard  yard  arms,  M'hile  the  studdingsail 
booms  were  out  and  their  sails  hanging  with  the  stops 
uncut  over  them.  The  corvette's  course  had  been  al- 
tered, and  I  could  perceive  a  man  at  each  masthead, 
and  one  fellow  like  a  black  ball,  perched  on  the  main 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  40 

truck.  There  was  still  but  little  wind,  although  the 
flaws  were  beginning  to  darken  the  smooth  sea  in 
patches,  and  the  trade  clouds  to  move  briskly. 

I  never  cast  a  glance  at  the  snug  little  yacht  behind 
me,  so  much  was  my  mind  occupied  with  the  row 
which  I  felt  assured  was  in  store  for  me  on  board  my 
own  ship ;  but  I've  often  thought,  since,  what  a  lucky 
incident  it  was,  our  falling  in  with  her  ;  for  Heaven  only 
knows  what  an  awful  fate  might  have  befallen  those 
helpless  women,  had  the  wily  villain,  who  nearly  had 
them  in  his  jaws,  escaped  us.  As  it  turned  out,  the 
probability  is,  that  they  never  heard  more  of  the  matter, 
or,  perhaps,  if  they  did,  the  shy  little  mate  has  forgiven 
the  innocent  caresses  I  gave  her. 

I  pulled  alongside  the  corvette,  and  with  my  knees 
knocking  together,  I  mounted  the  side,  touched  my  cap, 
and  reported  my  return  to  the  first  lieutenant,  who, 
trumpet  in  hand,  was  giving  orders  at  the  gangway. 

"  Go  and  report  to  the  captain,  Mr.  Gringo,"  said  that 
functionary,  as  he  brushed  me  off  like  a  mosquito,  with 
his  broad  Guayaquil  sombrero. 

The  cabin  doors  stood  wide  open,  and  as  I  entered  I 
beheld  old  Percy  near  the  chart  table,  carefully  adjust- 
ing a  spy  glass  and  trying  it  for  a  focus. 

"  Well,   sir,  what   has   kept   you  ?  "    jerked   out   the 

skipper,  as    he    closed  a  joint  of   the  telescope  with  a 

crash.      ''  A  lady,  sir,"  I  faltered  out.     ''  O,  she  did  ! 

"VYell,  that  alters  the  case.     But  what  did  a  lady  keep  such 

5 


50  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

a  little  monkey  as  you  for,  eh  ?  "  Here  I  produced  the 
large  brown  despatch,  on  which  was  written,  in  startling 
characters,  *'To  Admiral  Blue  Blazes,  His  Britannic 
Majesty's  flagship  Spitfire,  off  the  Bight  of  Benin." 
After  a  narrow  inspection  of  this  document,  the  captain 
gave  a  hearty  chuckle,  as  he  pitched  it  into  the  clerk's 
desk,  saying,  with  a  laugh,  as  if  talking  to  himself,  "  I  fear 
that  officer  serves  in  too  warm  latitudes  for  me  to  play 
postman  ;  but  may  be  he's  acquainted  with  the  Flying 
Dutchman,  and  if  I  fall  in  with  that  gentleman,  I'll  ask 
him  as  a  particular  favor  to  deliver  it  without  scorching 
his  fingers."  «^  The  countess  also  told  me  to  tell  you, 
sir,"  said  I,  "that  they  had  seen  a  suspicious  vessel, 
which  tried  to  overhaul  the  yacht  yesterday,  but  the 
wind  was  too  light  for  her  to  come  up."  "  The  devil 
she  did,"  ejaculated  my  superior ;  "  and  like  a  sensible 
woman,  she  kept  the  most  important  intelligence  for  the 
postscript !  "  As  I  communicated  the  message,  however, 
the  old  man  blazed  up  like  a  pine  torch,  and  bidding 
me  follow  him,  he  seized  the  spy  glass,  and  took  his  way 
forward.  As  he  passed  the  first  lieutenant,  he  said, 
"Hope,  be  all  ready  to  flood  the  ship  with  canvas." 
*'  All  ready,  sir,"  replied  the  officer  ;  and  on  we  went 
amid  the  groups  of  men  to  the  forecastle,  where  we 
found  Kit  Dolphin  leaning  against  the  fore-swifter, 
tranquilly  enjoying  his  Virginia  tobacco  ;  for  Christo- 
pher chewed  that  pernicious  weed  as  if  the  life  and 
soul  of  the  trade  depended  upon  his  individual  efforts. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  51 

The  captain  handed  the  glass  to  the  old  negro,  who 
slung  it  by  its  strap  over  his  shoulder,  when  we  all  three 
mounted  the  fore  rigging,  cleared  the  top,  and  never 
paused  until  we  gained  the  topsail  yard,  which  lay 
square,  with  the  wind  aft. 

I  ensconced  myself  at  the  slings,  wdiile  the  captain 
and  Kit  balanced  themselves  on  either  side  of  me. 
After  a  moment's  rest,  old  Jack  Percy  turned  round, 
and.  speaking  down  into  the  top,  asked,  '*'  Who  first  saw 
that  vessel  ahead  ? "  "  Williams,  sir,"  promptly  re- 
plied the  captain  of  the  top.  "Send  him  up  here." 
And  presently  there  was  a  little  stir  on  the  deck  beneath, 
us,  which,  from  the  great  height  at  which  we  were, 
seemed  no  vvdder  than  the  blade  of  a  case-knife  ;  and 
soon  after,  an  active  seaman  came  dancing  up  the 
shrouds,  until  he  reached  the  eyes  of  the  topmast  rig- 
ging, where  he  touched  his  hat  to  the  captain,  and 
waited  orders.  "  Williams,  how  was  that  fellow  stand- 
ing when  you  first  made  him  ?  "  "  Across  our  forefoot, 
so  fashion,  sir,  on  the  same  tack  with  the  cutter,"  said 
the  sailor,  as  he  pointed  with  his  tar-stained  hand  in  the 
proper  direction.  "  And  when  did  she  tack  ?  "  re- 
joined old  Percy.  "  Not  till  nigh  four  bells,  sir.  AVhen 
she  see  the  yacht  there  astarn  heave  to,  then  she  hove 
in  stays,  and  went  right  about,  sir." 

The  vessel  in  question  was  about  six  miles  off,  and 
was  apparently  creeping  up  to  the  wind,  on  the  starboard 
tack,  as  if  intent  upon  letting  us  pass,  so  that  he  might 
be  left  to  his  own  devices. 


53  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

Captain  Percy  rested  his  spy  glass  on  the  topmast  stay, 
and,  gazing  long  and  earnestly,  soliloquized  as  he  spoke, 
"  Very  long  in  the  legs,  certainly  ;  square  bit  of  canvas 
that  main  topsail ;  0,  ho !  and  lets  his  courses  fall  to- 
gether ;  he's  after  ebony,  perhaps !  Here,  Dolphin, 
take  a  squint,  and  tell  me  what  you  make  of  her." 
The  old  black  took  the  glass,  closed  his  white  eye,  and 
screwing  the  corner  of  his  mouth  up  to  the  rim  jof  the 
brass  tube,  he  steadied  himself  on  the  yard,  and  after  a 
moment's  glance,  spoke  out.  "  Ay,  sir,  he's  getting 
his  staysails  up,  and  a^vnings  down ;  and,  de  Lord,  sir ! 
I  sees  the  shine  of  a  long  brass  gun  amidships ;  dere, 
it's  kivered  over  again ;  he's  no  man-of-war,  that's  sartin." 
"  On  deck,  there,"  rung  out  the  clear  voice  of  old  Percy. 
"Sir!"  came  up  from  the  trumpet.  "Take  in  all  the 
port  studding  sails,  and  bring  the  ship  by  the  wind  on 
the  starboard  tack." 

The  breeze  had  by  this  time  come  up  fresh  and 
steady,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  change  in  the  cor- 
vette's course  and  canvas  had  been  effected,  and  with  all 
drawing  sail  she  was  bowling  to  windw^ard,  parallel 
with  the  brig,  at  the  rate  of  nine  knots. 

Por  an  hour  we  continued  on  this  course ;  but  as  the 
trade  began  to  increase,  the  royals  were  furled,  and  even 
then  we  found  that  we  were  forereachinor  the  strano-er 
without  much  of  an  effort. 

Soon  as  the  brig  discovered  that  she  stood  no  chance 
with  us  on  that  point,  she  gradually  fell  off,  until  she 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  58- 

brought  the  wind  a-beam ;  and  finding  tbat  even  that 
change  would  not  do,  she  at  last  struck  away  dead  be- 
fore it,  and  spread  her  wings  to  their  fullest  extent. 

The  sun  went  down  clear  and  brilliant,  and  the  white 
moon  rose  at  its  setting,  so  that  we  never  lost  sight  of 
our  chase,  and  both  ships  went  skimming  over  the  water, 
with  their  broad  arms  straining  the  yielding  hulls. 
Since  the  brig  had  brought  the  wind  aft,  there  had  been 
no  perceptible  difference  between  the  speed  of  the  two 
vessels,  and  old  Percy  chafed  like  a  chained  bull-dog. 
Things,  however,  went  on  as  usual  during  the  night ; 
bright  lookouts  were  kept  upon  the  stranger,  and  the 
corvette  was  steered  with  great  care. 

At  daylight  the  next  morning,  we  were  about  three 
miles  astern  of  the  brig,  and  we  could  novv^  distinctly 
make  her  out  to  be  a  low,  black  vessel,  with  great  beam, 
very  heavily  sparred,  and  from  the  rapid  way  in  which 
she  performed  her  evolutions,  evidently  well  manned, 
though  very  few  men  were  visible  on  her  decks.  She 
seemed,  too,  to  have  thoroughly  made  up  her  mind  that 
the  Juniata  was  a  constable  of  the  high  seas,  and  there- 
fore evinced  a  decided  disinclination  to  make  our  nearer 
acquaintance. 

Towards  ten  in  the  morning,  the  wind  again  became 
light,  and  we  looked  forward  to  another  interval  of  calm. 
The  forcing  pumps,  however,  were  rigged,  and  the  water 
was  spouted  over  the  great  spread  of  canvas  fi'om  the 
trucks  down. 


54  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

''We  shall  have  a  snorter  this  afternoon,"  muttered 
old  Jack,  rubbing  his  paws  joyfully ;  "  the  trade  wind 
always  blows  fresh  for  three  days,  just  like  three  heavy 
rollers  on  a  beach ;  and  then,  my  fine  fellow,"  said  he, 
jerking  his  head  in  the  direction  of  the  chase,  "  we'll 
see,  perhaps,  what  you're  made  of." 

Wetting  the  canvas  and  changing  slightly  the  trim  of 
the  ship  gave  us  the  advantage  of  another  good  stride 
nearer  the  brig  ;  and  now  she  was  not  more  than  a  couple 
of  miles  off. 

We  could  see  that  they  were  not  asleep)  on  board  of 
her  either,  and  that  they  saw  the  advantage  we  had 
gained ;  at  times,  too,  we  could  see  a  splash  on  the 
water,  as  if  bulky  articles  were  tossed  overboard,  and 
a  pair  of  hands  were  aloft  on  each  mast,  drawing  buckets 
of  water  from  the  yard  arms  in  emulation  of  our  engine. 

"  Very  uncivil  chap  that,"  said  the  sailing  master,  as 
he  stood  measuring  her  distance  from  the  top  gallant 
forecastle ;  ''  won't  shake  hands  with  us."  '-  He  may 
have  the  yellow  fever,  perhaps,  and  fears  to  infect  us," 
suggested  the  marine  officer.  "Or,"  added  Jack  Gra- 
cieux,  who  was  standing  near,  "  she  is,  may  be,  loaded  with 
tailors,  who  owe  some  of  us  money,  and  are  not  anxious 
to  pay  it."  "Hope,"  said  the  captain,  "  send  the  sig- 
nal quarter  master  here,  with  half  a  dozen  ensigns  of 
different  nations,  and  possibly  we  may  find  out  who  that 
sly  fellow's  mother  is." 

By  and  by,  the    signal    man   came   forward  with  a 


TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES.  55 

great  bag  of  bunting,  and  tumbling  tlie  flags  out  upon 
the  deck,  touched  his  hat  respectfully,  and  paused  for  in- 
structions. "Try  him,"  said  the  first  lieutenant,  "with 
that  pretty  castle  of  Dona  Maria,  and  run  it  up  at  the 
fore,  for  he  can't  see  it  from  the  peak."  Aloft  went  the 
ball,  until  it  reached  the  truck,  when  it  fell  out  in  flut- 
tering folds. 

"  Prompt  fellow  that,"  exclaimed  Jack  Gracieux,  as 
a  similar  flag  flew  up  at  the  gaff  of  the  stranger,  "  but 
he  certainly  can't  be  such  a  lubber  as  to  take  this  clipper 
corvette  for  a  Portingee." 

"  Haul  down  that  ensign,  and  show  him  a  white  cross 
of  St.  George."  Up  went  the  bunting  of  Mr.  Bull ; 
but  before  it  had  fairly  reached  the  mast  head,  our  own 
stars  and  stripes  were  flaunting,  like  a  red-hot  gridiron, 
at  his  peak. 

"  Halloo  !  "  continued  Jack  Gracieux ;  "  that  fellow  has 
got  all  the  face  cards  in  the  pack  ;  but  I  think  he's 
trumped  his  own  trick  this  hitch."  "That  will  do, 
Hope,"  chuckled  the  captain  with  a  grin  ;  "  the  breeze  is 
coming  up  in  earnest ;  so  clear  away  one  of  those  'mid- 
ship guns,  and  run  the  long  eighteens  out  of  the  bridle 
ports,  and  have  a  few  shot  at  hand,  for  I  think  we  shall 
have  to  communicate  with  that  gentleman." 

"All  ready  with  the  gun,"  said  the  ofhcer  of  the 
watch.  '^  Then  hoist  our  colors  and  pennant,  and  fire  as 
you  break  stops."'  The  loud  report  of  the  blank  car- 
tridge from  the  thirty-two  poimder  in  the  waist  had  no 


56  TALES    FOE    THE    MARINES. 

other  effect  upon  the  brig  than  to  make  her  haul  down 
the  American  ensign,  and  with  great  expedition  hoist 
the  yellow  flag  of  Spain. 

"  Too  late/'  sung  out  Jack  Gracieux ;  ''  you've  revoked, 
and  the  best  plan  for  you  to  pursue  now,"  he  added 
with  a  laugh,  apostrophizing  her,  "  is  to  throw  up  the 
game,  and  have  a  new  deal." 

"  Twelve  o'clock,  sir,"  reported  the  sailing  master, 
touching  his  visor  to  the  captain.  **  Very  good,  sir ; 
strike  eight  bells,  and  give  the  men  their  dinner.  Mr. 
Gracieux,"  he  added  to  my  handsome  friend  at  his 
side,  "will  you  have  the  kindness  to*  send  an  eighteen 
pound  shot  after  that  individual,  and  let  him  know 
that  I  will  pay  my  respects  to  him  this  evening,  or  to- 
morrow ?  " 

*^  With  all  the  pleasure  in  the  world,  sir,"  replied 
the  polite  mate,  as  he  placed  one  hand  on  his  heart, 
and  raised  his  janty  cap  with  the  other,  exposing  a 
mass  of  locks,  as  glossy  and  black  as  jet,  which  a  queen 
might  have  envied.  Forthwith  he  went  under  the  top- 
gallant forecastle,  and  a  few  minutes  after,  the  flame 
belched  forth  from  the  muzzle  of  the  gun,  the  ringing 
sound  followed,  and  looking  far  ahead,  we  saw  the  shot 
dip  into  the  water  like  a  black  pill,  ricochet  once  or 
twice,  and  disappear  a  good  way  short  of  the  chase. 
Even  this  did  not  disturb  her  equanimity,  but  on  she 
went  like  a  pigeon. 

"  Repeat  that  experiment   every  time  the  bell  strikes, 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  57 


oJ 


I 


Mr.  Gracleux,  until  further  orders."     And    so   sayin 
old  Percy  snapped  his  toothpick  and  left  the  forecastle. 

Although  we  had  sensibly  gained  on  the  brig,  having; 
proved  tlie  swiftest  vessel  on  all  tacks^  and  were  con- 
gratulating ourselves  on  soon  coming  up  with  her,  yet 
what  was  the  surprise  created  throughout  the  Juniata, 
towards  four  o'clock,  when  it  was  discovered  that  she 
had  taken  a  sudden  flight,  and  was  leaving  us  rapidly 
in  her  wake  !  At  the  same  time,  fragments  of  boxes, 
bales  of  merchandise,  and  one  or  two  heavy  spars,  came 
drifting  by,  while  with  the  glass  we  could  see  them 
starting:  water  also. 

Then  old  Mad  Jack  finally  woke  up.  "  Pipe  down 
one  watch  vrith  their  hammocks,"  he  said  to  the  first 
lieutenant,  "  and  make  every  man  take  a  couple  of  thirty- 
two  pound  shot  in  his  clews  ;  start  eight  or  ten  thousand 
gallons  of  water,  and  heave  overboard  fifteen  tons  of  bal- 
last ;  lighten  the  ship  as  much  as  possible  ;  slack  the  lan- 
yards of  the  lower  rigging  a  few  inches,  and  loosen  the 
wedges  round  the  partners  of  the  masts  ;  let  the  top- 
men  sling  themselves  in  grummets  from  the  fore  and 
aft  stays,  and  give  some  spring  to  the  ship,  and,  sir, 
get  out  the  maintopmast  studding  sails,  and  let  fall  the 
mainsail ;  we'll  try  her  with  more  canvas  amidships,  and 
hook  shot  along  the  foot  of  the  courses,  and  let  the  sails 
stand  fiat  as  boards  ;  then  keep  the  people  quiet." 

These  orders  were  executed  as  fist  as  magic,  and  be- 
fore  an  hour  had   passed  the  additional  sail  had  been 


58  TALES    FOK    THE    MARINES. 

crowded  on  the  corvette,  the  ballast  gone,  and  the  water 
pumped  out,  the  greater  part  of  the  crew  in  their  ham- 
mocks ;  while  on  the  stays,  from  the  topmast  heads  down, 
thirty  or  forty  fellows  were  sitting,  as  it  were,  like  ring- 
tailed  monkeys,  on  their  own  tails.  The  consequence 
of  these  movements  was,  that  the  Juniata  became  as 
lively  as  a  bottle  of  quicksilver,  and  began  again  to 
lessen  the  gap  between  her  and  the  chase. 

The  brig,  too,  had  become  visibly  lighter  and  more 
buoyant,  and  she  rose  and  careered  over  the  waves  like 
a  bird,  while  both  vessels  were  running  at  a  high  rate  of 
speed  —  at  least  thirteen  knots. 

Finding  that  our  shot  were  thrown  away,  the  firing 
was  discontinued  ;  the  bow  gun  was  carefully  sponged 
clean,  and  its  cavernous  throat  left  open  for  its  meal  of 
solid  iron,  whenever  it  might  be  deemed  expedient  to 
feed  it  again. 

The  sunset  and  twilight  of  the  tropics  followed, 
flooding  the  open  ocean  with  a  soft  vermilion  light. 
The  moon,  however,  was  late  in  rising,  and  owing  to 
the  dark  belt  which  succeeds  the  disappearance  and 
coming  of  the  two  orbs,  we  lost  sight  of  our  chase. 
Every  precaution  had  been  taken  to  guard  against  such 
a  contingency  ;  fifty  pairs  of  eyes  had  been  intently  peer- 
ing in  the  direction  she  was  going,  and  night  glasses  and 
mirrors  had  been  watching  and  reflecting  in  all  parts  of 
the  ship,  from  the  dolphin  striker  under  the  bows  to 
the  mast  heads.     The  moon  at  last  came  serenely  up,  as 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  59 

round  as  a  wheel,  and  white  as  Parian  marble,  while 
the  pearly  light  fell  glittering  over  the  weaves  to  the 
uttermost  vers^e  of  the  clear-cut  horizon ;  but  still  there 
was  not  a  vestige  to  be  seen  of  the  chase. 

"  Keep  on  twenty  minutes  longer,  Mr.  Hansard,  and 
be  ready  meanwhile  to  reduce  sail."  '^  Ay,  ay,  sir !  " 
said  the  officer  of  the  watch,  in  reply  to  the  captain's 
sharp  order.  The  preparations  w^ere  rapidly  made,  while 
old  Percy  stood  with  his  night  glass  at  his  eye,  sweep- 
ing over  the  sea  in  every  direction,  but  so  savage  at 
being  foiled  that  he  was  dangerous  to  converse  with. 

"  A  boat  under  the  bows,"  sung  out  a  man  perched 
on  the  jib-boom  end,  "  and  something  alive  in  it." 
"  Ah,  ha  !  "  exclaimed  old  Jack,  as  he  leaned  over  the 
cat-head  ;  *^  what  trick  is  this  the  scoundrel  is  playing  ?  " 
As  the  corvette  flew  on  with  fearful  speed,  she  made  one 
plunge,  and  striking  the  object  with  her  sharp  cutwater, 
she  split  it  like  a  reed,  while  at  the  same  instant  we 
heard  the  faint  bleat  of  a  goat,  and  as  a  piece  of  the 
wreck  fell  beyond  the  hissing  rage  of  foam  from  the 
bows,  we  saw,  by  the  light  of  the  mellow  moon,  the 
word  "  Clara,"  and  the  remembrance  of  the  bereaved 
mother,  mourning  for  the  loss  of  her  murdered  child, 
rose  vividly  before  us. 

The  captain  gave  a  howl  of  vengeance,  and  with 
a  frightful  oath  he  thundered  out,  "  I'll  have  you 
under  my  guns  before  I  sleep,  you  bloody  villain." 
Then  yelling  to  the  officer  of  the  watch,  "  In  studding 


fiO  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

sails,  and  bring  tlic  wind  abeam  on  tbe  port  tack,"  he 
continued  his  apostrophe  to  the  hidden  brig  —  '^  O, 
you're  a  cunning  fox,  and  you've  dodged  beneath  the 
haze  of  that  rising  moon  in  hopes  I'll  run  past  you,  eh  ?  " 

The  sails  were  shut  up  like  a  fan,  the  helm  put  a- 
starboard,  and  on  we  flew  in  the  new  direction.  Two 
hours  later,  and  "  Sail  ho !  "  again  cried  a  dozen  voices 
from  different  parts  of  the  ship.  ^^  Where  away  ? " 
"  Right  ahead,  sir."  The  news  went  round  the  Juniata 
like  an  electric  shock,  and  we  were  all  wound  up  to  a  high 
pitch  of  excitement,  feeling  now  certain  that  the  chase  was 
the  selfsame  pirate  who  had  robbed  the  English  brig. 

On  we  went  like  a  bloodhound  on  the  scent  all  that 
night,  and  it  was  only  towards  sunrise  that  we  had  re- 
covered the  ground  that  we  had  lost  on  the  evening  pre- 
vious. Then  the  land  was  reported  on  the  lee  boAv,  and 
there  the  oval  Peak  of  Teneriffe,  a  hundred  miles  dis- 
tant, reared  its  white-robed  summit,  glistening  in  the 
rays  of  the  rising  sun.  At  ten  o'clock  we  resumed  the 
salutations  with  the  long  eighteens  ;  but  still  the  balls 
fell  short  of  the  mark,  and  they  were  again  discontinued, 
as  by  the  yawing  of  the  ship  in  firing  we  thought  we 
lost  a  little,  and  now  every  inch  was  important. 

At  noon,  I  Vv'as  standing  wistfully  looking  through 
the  bridle  port  at  the  black  hull  of  the  brig,  as  she  rose 
and  reeled,  and  seemed  just  to  touch  the  crests  of  the 
waves,  while  she  sprang  on  in  flight,  when  I  felt  a  sharp 
twitch  at  my  ear ;  and  believing,  in  my  vexation,  that  it 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  61 

"vras  one  of  the  friendly  pinches  of  a  messmate,  I  whirled 
quickly  round,  and  planted  a  blow  full  into  the  old 
skipper's  breadbasket.  "  O  Lord,  sir !  I  really  beg 
your  pardon,"  I  apologized  in  some  fright.  *'  Pretty 
solid  little  fist  that,"  laughed  old  Percy  at  my  confu- 
sion ;  *^  suppose  you  try  to  pitch  one  of  those  lumps  of 
iron  there  into  that  buccaneer,  as  you  have  those  little 
knuckles  into  me.  Here,  Dolphin,  old  nigger,  go  and 
take  the  wheel ;  and  mind  you  steer  as  if  you  were 
going  to  tlii'ead  a  cambric  needle  ;  watch  a  smooth  time 
and  the  weather  roll,  and  give  the  boy  a  fair  chance  for 
his  first  shot."  "Ay,  ay,  sir  !  "  said  the  delighted  Kit, 
as  he  smiled  and  whispered  in  my  ear^,  *^  Xow  mind 
yousef,  Massa  Harry ;  don't  be  in  a  hurry,  and  when 
you  see  dem  lofty  poles  ob  de  brig,  just  clare  ob  de 
outer  rim  dar,  pull  the  trigger  string  v>-id  a  dam  sharp 
jerk  —  so  ;  but  stop  a  bit,  while  old  Kit  chalks  his  num- 
ber on  a  smood  new  shot."  He  picked  up  a  ball  of  the 
metal,  and  feeling  all  around  to  see  if  it  had  been  properly 
cast,  he  took  a  piece  of  red  chalk,  and  made  a  rough, 
though  graphic  silhouette  of  an  individual  dangling 
v\-ith  convulsed  legs  from  a  gallows.  ^'  Xow,"  he  added, 
turning  to  the  quarter  gunner,  who  stood  by,  "  Jimmy 
Veech,  for  de  honor  ob  old  Virginy,  wipe  out  de  muz- 
zle ob  de  lady,  load  her  keerful,  and  gib  de  young  gen- 
tleman a  fair  shake."  "The  old  gunner  nodded  assent, 
and  being  of  a  philosophic  frame  of  mind,  he  stopped  Dol- 
phin to  ask  him  if  he  knevr  ^^  what  the  ingredients  which 
6 


62  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

composed  powder  were."  ''  Bery  well,  Mr.  Yeech/' 
quickly  rejoined  Kit,  as  his  comical  eye  winked  with 
merriment,  *^-  bery  well,  indeed ;  de  'gredients  am  cam- 
phire,  sulphire,  and  hell-fire  ! "  and  so  saying,  and  with 
another  caution  to  me  to  be  cool,  he  left  the  discom- 
fited Mr.  Veech  to  growl  out  his  indignation  and  load 
the  gun,  while  he  hurried  aft  to  the  wheel. 

I  can  give  you  no  idea  of  my  feelings  as  the  men 
finished  wadding  and  running  out  the  gun,  when  wdth 
the  hammer  of  the  lock  thrown  back,  and  the  primer 
laid  on  the  touch  hole,  the  trigger  cord  was  placed  in 
my  hand. 

I  thought  at  the  time  that  not  only  my  own  reputa- 
tion in  life  and  in  the  navy  depended  upon  the  cartridge 
I  vras  about  to  explode,  but  that  also  of  all  my  rela- 
tives, living  and  dead.  So  evident  was  my  excitement, 
that,  for  a  wonder,  even  my  messmates  ceased  their 
gibes.  Patiently,  however,  I  waited  until  I  could  see  a 
signal  agreed  upon  with  honest  Kit,  v.-hen,  as  the  bell 
struck  the  first  half  hour  after  noon,  he  threvv^  his  arm 
up  for  me  to  be  ready,  and  then  I  watched  with  all  my 
soul  for  the  moment  when  the  chase  would  come  into 
range.  Still  every  second  seemed  an  age  to  me,  until 
at  last  the  corvette  gave  an  almost  imperceptible  yaw, 
and  as  she  fell  off  and  was  about  to  rise  upon  the  swell 
beneath  her  bows,  I  caught  sight  of  the  white  sails  of 
the  brig  directly  in  range  of  the  gun,  and  stepping  back 
with   a  violent  jerk  on  the  lock  lanyard,  the  stunning 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  63 

report  followed.  I  sprang  like  a  cat  up  the  Jacob's 
ladder  of  the  fore  riggmg,  just  in  time  to  see  the  flying 
missile  dip  into  a  wave,  a  short  distance  astern  of  the 
brig ;  and  the  next  instant  I  saw  the  white  splinters  fly 
up  in  a  shower  from  her  tafli-ail,  as  the  resistless  globe 
of  iron  tore  like  a  plough  along  her  decks,  and  plunged 
through  the  bulwarks  forward.  A  suppressed  cheer 
arose  from  our  tops  and  forecastle,  as  the  shot  was  seen 
to  strike,  and  at  the  same  time  old  Kit,  who  had  run 
forward  from  the  wheel,  seized  me  in  his  arms,  and 
hugged  me  as  in  a  vice. 

"  Bueno  !  "  sung  out  old  Percy,  while  the  reefers 
were  congratulating  me  on  my  maiden  success  — 
*^  Bueno  !  Five  feet  the  other  way  would  have  made  his 
hull  as  clear  of  sticks  as  a  coal  barge  !  But  what  is  the 
rascal  about  now?"  he  added,  as  we  could  discern  a 
heavy  splash  from  some  large  object  over  the  side.  "  By 
thunder,  he's  thrown  overboard  the  only  tooth  he  had 
left  in  his  jaws,  that  long  brass  gun  ;  however,  he  keeps 
a  boat  yet,  and  he  seems  to  be  more  anxious  to  save  his 
neck  than  it  may  be  worth  in  the  market.  But  if  he 
intends  to  run  on  shore,  he'll  only  give  the  lie  to  the  old 
proverb  about  drowning  and  hanging  ;  and  at  all  events, 
I'll  never  leave  him  alive." 

The  chase  had  now  lasted  more  than  fifty  hours. 
The  Island  of  Tenerifl'e  was  plain  in  sight  along  our  lee 
beam,  while  the  vineyards  and  villages,  dotted  about  the 
hills,  were  reflected  by  the  declining  sun.     On  we  went. 


64  TALES   FOR   THE    MARINES. 

steerin"-  for  the  eastern  end  of  tire  island,  and  gaining 
when  the  breeze  freshened  and  losing  when  it  lulled. 
The  sun  was  slowly  sinking  towards  the  verge  of  the 
horizon.  The  town  of  Santa  Cruz  was  rising  upon  our 
viev.^,  when  the  brig  hoisted  the  Spanish  flag,  as  she 
srazed  the  westernmost  point  of  the  roadstead,  and 
began  to  take  in  sail. 

As  we  perceived  the  game  they  were  up  to,  the  boat- 
swain's mates  shouted  out,  "Away  there,  Ariels  and 
second  cutters  ! "  and  the  crews  of  the  boats,  with  cut- 
lasses at  their  sides  and  pistols  in  their  belts,  came  eagerly 
crowding  around  the  davit's  falls.  "  Hope,"  cried  old 
Percy,  "  stand  by  to  let  every  thing  go  by  the  run,  and 
have  the  bower  anchors  ready  to  drop  close  aboard  that 
brig,  and  a  couple  of  divisions  all  clear,  to  sink  him  if 
he  dares  to  bolt  again.  There,  now's  the  time,"  added 
the  skipper,  as  we  whirled  like  a  tornado  around  his 
bow  in  shore  of  him,  while  the  sails  came  down  in 
clouds,  the  yards  were  braced  aback,  the  .heavy  anchors 
fell  with  a  simultaneous  splash,  and  the  boats  with  them, 
as  the  Juniata  was  brought  up  with  a  terrible  surge  on 
the  brig's  beam. 

In  five  seconds  we  dashed  alongside  of  her,  and  be- 
fore even  the  rattle  of  her  chains  had  ceased  grating 
through  the  hawseholes,  the  corvette's  men  had  leaped 
on  her  decks.  With  cutlasses  flashing  over  their 
heads,  they  were  about  to  plunge,  like  demons,  pellmell 
into  a  large  crowd  of  villanous-looking  scoundrels,  who 


TALES    FOE   THE   MARINES.  65 

were  congregated  about  the  masts,  when  the  shrill  voice 
of  old  Percy  yelled  out,  '^  Avast  there,  men ;  dou't 
strike  a  blow  !  "  While  the  Juniata's  men  fell  back,  in  a 
double  line,  on  the  brig's  deck,  in  obedience  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  captain,  we  could  distinctly  hear  the  last 
taps  of  the  drum  on  board  the  ship  beating  to  quarters, 
and  the  order  of  "  Silence !  Cast  loose  the  starboard 
battery."  At  the  same  time  we  saw  the  frowning  can- 
non, with  the  tompions  out,  gazing  dark  and  ominous 
upon  the  vessel  we  vrere  on  board  of. 

After  a  rapid  glance  over  the  ugly  wretches  assembled 
on  deck,  who  appeared  to  have  been  spawned  from  every 
part  of  the  known  globe,  but  chiefly  Spaniards,  Portu- 
guese, Lascars,  mulattoes,  and  even  negroes,  old  Percy 
began  :  "  Who  commands  this  brig  ?  "  There  was  no' 
reply  until  the  question  was  repeated  in  Spanish,  when 
forth  stepped  a  low-browed,  swarthy,  bow-legged  mu- 
latto, and  replied  in  broken  English,  "  Him  go  'shore 
wid  mate,  in  dat  boat  dare,  wen  we  close  to  de  punta,"  he 
said  with  a  malicious  scowl,  as  he  moved  his  chin  in  the 
direction  of  the  land.  "Ay,  by  Jove,  so  the  villains 
have  !  "  ground  out  Mad  Jack ;  but  turning  quickly  to 
his  own  men,  he  exclaimed,  "  Spring,  there,  you  lads, 
and  take  those  fellows,  dead  or  alive  !  No,  stop  !  "  he 
Continued,  as  the  boat's  crew  were  leaping  into  the  cut- 
ter \  "  it  is  useless ;  they  have  already  landed  and 
escaped,  and  their  boat  is  adrift  there  near  the  rocks." 
Then  approaching  the  mulatto  again,  as  his  eyes  flashed 
6* 


Q6  TALES    FOR   THE    MAHTNES. 

fire,  he  balanced  a  cocked  pistol  in  his  hand,  with  a  very 
wicked  and  nervous  finger  on  the  trigger,  and  looking 
him  in  the  face,  he  said,  in  a  soft,  precise  tone,  ''  Now, 
ray  man,  at  the  first  lie  I'll  blow  your  brains  out.  Tell 
me,  where  are  you  from."  The  villain  quailed  as  he 
stood  beneath  the  gaze  of  the  old  white-headed  skipper, 
and  he  replied  with  some  trepidation,  "  From  de  Spanis 
Main  —  Laguayra."  "Your  papers?"  "Gone  shore 
wid  cappen."  "  And  the  name  of  the  brig  ?  "  rejoined 
old  Jack,  as  he  still  moved  the  pistol  up  and  down,  and 
added,  "  Cuidado,  amigo,  have  a  care,"  as  the  beetling- 
browed  scoundrel  began  to  falter.  "  Brig  namee  ? " 
"  Yes  ! "  "  She  namee  Juanita."  This  was  the  last  word 
and  lie  the  mulatto  uttered.  Old  Percy's  arm  moved 
slowly  up  until  the  barrel  of  the  weapon  was  level  with 
his  forehead,  and  an  explosion  followed.  Before  the 
smoke  had  blown  away,  and  the  mulatto,  with  the  cap 
of  his  skull  nearly  crushed  by  the  ounce  bullet,  was 
stretched  a  dead  man  on  the  deck.  Mad  Jack  pulled 
another  pistol  from  his  belt,  and  without  changing  a 
muscle  of  his  determined  face,  he  beckoned  to  another 
of  the  gang,  and  in  the  same  sardonic,  cold,  low,  though 
audible  tone,  he  said  in  Spanish,  "  A  ball  for  every  lie. 
Now,  what  is  the  true  name  of  this  craft  ?  "  The  man 
addressed  gave  a  furtive  glance  around,  as  if  to  see  if 
there  was  any  means  of  evading  the  question  by  an 
escape  ;  but  seeing  only  the  resolute  faces  of  the  cor- 
vette's enraged  sailors,  and  the  cowering  looks  of  his 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  67 

0"\Yn  companions,  while  the  cHck  of  the  captain's  pistol 
assailed  his  ears,  he  hesitated  no  longer,  but  fell  on  his 
knees,  and  crossing  his  breast,  said,  "  She  is  a  slaver, 
called  the  Clara."  "  Ah,"  sighed  old  Jack,  "  even 
the  truth  won't  save  such  rascals  ;  and  you,  sir,  have 
only  swapped  the  devil  for  a  witch  — an  ounce  of  lead  for 
a  fathom  of  hemp."  Then  speaking  to  the  boat's  crew, 
he  said,  "  Throw  this  yellow  carcass  overboard  to  the 
sharks  ;  "  and  leaning  over  the  brig's  rail,  he  shouted  to 
the  first  lieutenant  of  his  own  ship,  ^^  Mr.  Hope,  send 
a  dozen  marines,  and  half  a  hundred  handcufis,  and  as 
many  feet  irons  on  board  here,  for  these  pirates." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  guard  came,  the  entire  band  of 
forty-one  men  were  manacled  ;  and  being  lashed  back  to 
back,  they  were  left  to  their  reflections  for  the  night.  Our 
men,  however,  were  sorely  disappointed  that  the  pirates 
should  be  allowed  to  live  for  even  a  single  night,  and 
were  strongly  in  favor  of 

" Lydford  law, 


How  in  the  evening  they  hange  and  draw, 
And  sit  in  judgment  after." 

But  as  this  process  was  too  summary  just  then,  it 
was  decided  to  let  the  villains  have  a  chance  for  praying 
and  be  ready  for  their  rope  neckcloths  in  the  morning. 
This  plan  was  not  very  well  relished  by  the  Juniata's 
crew,  but  there  was  no  appeal,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
leave  the  affair  in  the  hands  of  their  superiors. 


68  TALES    FOR   THE    MAKINE3. 

The  follov/ing  day  the  captain  communicated  v/ith  the 
Spanish  authorities  of  Santa  Cruz,  as  the  vessel  had 
anchored  at  the  moment  we  captured  her.  Eepresenta- 
tions  were  also  made  to  the  English  consul,  to  procure 
the  evidence  necessary  to  the  conviction  of  the  crew. 
The  brig  was  searched,  and  her  holds  were  absolutely 
clear  of  every  thing  save  the  ballast.  Guns,  ammu- 
nition, merchandise,  spars,  sails,  cordage,  provisions, 
water,  and  in  short  every  thing,  even  to  the  hatches,  had 
been  pitched  overboard,  in  hopes,  perhaps,  of  thus  effect- 
ually removing  all  traces  of  their  piracies. 

In  this  design,  however,  they  were  mistaken,  even 
had  there  existed  no  stronger  proofs  by  the  living  wit- 
nesses who  were  on  board  the  Arabella ;  for  in  tearing 
up  the  panel  work  of  the  cabin  lockers,  a  small  passage 
was  discovered,  leading  down  into  the  after  run ;  and 
there  was  found,  among  other  small  articles,  the  chro- 
nometer which  had  been  taken  from  the  Enghsh  vessel, 
with  a  letter  in  the  case,  which  had  been  received  by 
the  murdered  skipper  from  his  ^'affectionate  Nelly." 

It  is  needless  to  keep  you  longer,  just  now,  in  de- 
scribing the  measures  taken  to  bring  the  perpetrators  of 
this  nefarious  atrocity  to  justice.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that, 
after  a  delay  of  two  months  at  Teneriffe,  his  Britannic 
majesty's  sloop  of  war  Gazelle,  arrived  with  the  proper 
depositions  and  instructions,  and  the  Clara  was  delivered 
over,  with  the  band  of  forty-one  men.  One  of  these 
miscreants  contrived  to  jump  overboard,  on  the  passage 


TALES    FOR    THE    MA11INE3.  69 

to  Gibraltar ;  but  tbe  remainder^  after  a  fair  trial^  were 
hung  by  the  necks  until  they  were  dead.  With  respect 
to  the  captain  and  mate,  who  eluded  us  at  Santa  Cruz, 
we  made  every  possible  exertion  to  ferret  them  out 
during  our  stay  at  the  island.  In  this  we  were  unsuccess- 
ful, though  you  may,  perhaps,  learn,  in  the  sequel,  that 
their  fate  was  only  deferred. 


CHAPTER    III. 

We  left  TenerifFe  one  bright  and  lovely  morning,  and 
steering  to  the  eastward,  we  took  the  fresh  trade  wind 
over  our  quarter,  and  without  touching  tack  or  sheet,  we 
rolled  pleasantly  over  the  blue  seas  of  the  tropics ; 
passed  the  Cape  de  Yerds,  and  continuing  on,  we  found 
ourselves,  a  few  days  after,  on  the  northern  edge  of 
the  equator,  well  into  the  African  coast,  at  the  little 
Island  of  St.  Thomas. 

Our  mission  to  this  out-of-the-way,  unhealthy  spot 
was  induced  by  the  fact  that,  some  months  before,  an 
American  brig  had  been  defrauded  of  a  considerable 
amount  of  money,  and  we  had  been  instructed  to  recover 
it,  if  possible  ;  which  was,  however,  regarded  by  the 
owners  themselves  as  a  scheme  of  very  questionable 
success. 

The  sun  blazed  down  in  perpendicular  streams  of  fire, 
as  we  let  run  our  cables  at  the  anchorage,  and  the  huts 
and  habitations  of  the  little  town  looked  as  if  they,  too, 
had  been  baked  for  a  long  time  in  the  same  oven.  Our 
sails  were  left  hanging  in  their  naturally  graceful  fes- 
toons, as  they  lay  in  the  brails  and  clewlines,  until  the 
breeze  should  make,  or  the  sun  lose  its  fierce  power,  so 

(70) 


I 


I 


\ 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAHINEg.  71 

as  to  allow  the  topmen  to  go  aloft  without  having  their 
brains  crisped,  and  roll  up  the  loose  canvas.  The  awn- 
ings were  spread,  too,  fore  and  aft,  and  the  decks  had 
been  wet ;  but  still  we  all  lay  panting  like  fish  out  of 
water.  I  was  leaning  over  the  spanker  boom,  on  the 
poop,  near  the  taffrail,  looking  down  into  the  clear,  calm 
water,  where  the  bottom  was  distinctly  visible,  and 
thinking  how  delightful  it  would  be  to  be  skiiding  about 
in  the  shady  pools,  instead  of  running  messages  for  the 
officer  of  the  watch,  around  the  hot  decks,  when  my  eye 
was  attracted  by  a  gaudily  painted  barge,  which  was  ap- 
proaching us  from  the  shore.  The  boat  had  a  fearful 
representation  of  a  di*agon  or  sea  monster,  carved  around 
the  bow,  with  a  raised  canopy  of  matting,  supported  by 
light  stanchions  over  the  stern.  She  was  pulled  by  six 
large  negroes,  who  gave  a  stroke  about  every  minute ; 
rising  up  as  they  threw  the  blades  of  the  oars  forward, 
and  coming  down  with  such  tremendous  force  on  the 
thawts  as  ought  apparently  to  have  driven  their  heads 
off  their  shoulders,  from  the  mere  concussion  ;  at  the 
same  time  they  would  utter  a  deep  aspiration  of  "  Hi 
yov>',"  and  again  spring  up,  as  it  were  in  a  convulsion, 
strike  the  palms  of  their  hands  together  in  one  simul- 
taneous clack,  seize  the  oars,  and  come  down  as  before. 
They  all  wore  white  straw  hats ;  and  this  was  their  only 
covering,  except  the  sheeny  skins,  dry  and  polished  as 
ebony,  which  nature  had  provided  them. 

Beneath   the  awning    abaft    sat  a  tall  black,  with  a 


72  TALES    FOR    THE    MAKINES. 

huge  cocked  hat,  stuck  crosswise  on  his  woolly  pate,  a 
bright  scarlet  coat,  with  tarnished  embroidery,  buttoned 
tight  and  close  up  to  his  chin,  while  his  lower  limbs 
"were  encased  in  a  pair  of  white  cotton  pantalettes,  which 
only  reached  a  little  above  the  knees.  The  boat  with 
this  personage  came  slowly  alongside  the  Juniata,  and  with 
the  last  powerful  whoop  of  "  Hi  hi,  yow  yow,"  the  rowers 
remained  motionless  on  their  seats,  while  their  passenger 
rapidly  mounted  the  ladder,  and  made  his  obeisance  to  the 
officers  on  the  quarter  deck.  '*  Sarvint,  sar,"  he  began 
to  jabber  with  great  volubility  ;  "  me  ISTappolee  Bonee- 
pattee  — me  sleep  w^id  gubbener  ebery  night  — you  got 
coast  fevee  — -  neber  mind  —  gib  shed  house  on  shor  — 
spose  you  gib  big  present  tobakkcr  ?  Here  pickanin- 
nee,  small  ossifa,  have  sok  shuga  tick."  This  last  invi- 
tation was  addressed  to  one  of  the  reefers,  as  the  fellov.^ 
pitched  a  short,  thick  sugar  cane  at  him,  spear  fashion, 
which  the  youngster  dexterously  caught,  and  in  a  second 
returned  the  compliment  by  bringing  it  with  a  sound- 
ing whack  on  the  cucumber  shins  of  the  black.  *^  Gor- 
ree,"  he  howled  as  he  danced  about  in  excruciating  pain, 
and  shov/ing  his  double  range  of  teeth,  "  him  crackee 
me  all  to  pieces."  Here  the  captain  appeared  on  deck, 
and  the  moment  the  scarlet-backed  individual  perceived 
him,  he  hopped  up  to  him  like  a  parrot,  and  forgetting, 
apparently,  his  agony,  he  went  on  with  his  fluent  jabber 
in  this  strain :  "  Well,  sar,  you  is  ole  wite  head,  fed- 
dered  cappin  —  you  speaka  me  all  same  gubbener  (me 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  T3 

slee})  wid  him.)     "  O,  ho,  you  do,  eh  !  and  what  trade 
may  you  follow  in  the  daytime  ? "    asked  the  Captain. 
"  Hi,  me  furnis  mess  wid  fruit  and  nice  bullock  heart 
stuck  round  wid  yam  for  yoppa  !  "     "  Ah  !  "  grunted  old 
Percy,  to  this  feast ;  and  then  he  added,  ''  And  what  big 
rock  is  that  there,  by  that  old  castle  ?  "     "  0,  dat,"  re- 
plied the  black,  "  dat,  ebery  dam  fool  know  ole  Anne 
Cheres'  rock  !  "     I  thought  that  the  free-spoken  darkey 
would  have  been  thrown  a  somersault  down  the  gun- 
room hatch ;  but  the  captain  only  smiled  at  his  innocence, 
and  desired  him  to  walk  into  the  cabin.     He  was,  how- 
ever, a  very  wide-awake   fellow,  though  he  did  sleep 
with  the  governor  ;  and  notwithstanding  that  the  cap- 
tain loosened  his   tongue  with   a  dash  of  brandy  and 
rum,  still  he  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  converse 
upon  affairs  of  the  island,  or  to  give  any  precise  direc- 
tions where    the    governor  himself   slept,  by  night    or 
day.     On  leaving,  he  was  presented  with  a  few  pounds 
of  tobacco,  half  of  which  he  promised  to  present  to  his 
bosom  friend,  the  governor,  with  a  civil  request  to  see 
that  potentate  so  soon  as  he  could  make  it  convenient. 

Some  days  passed,  but  yet  the  governor  did  not  ap- 
pear, though  his  deputy  came  frequently,  with  many 
flattering  speeches,  and  a  few  gifts  of  grapes  and  cocoa 
nuts,  and  innumerable  hints  with  rtspect  to  his  fondness 
for  tobacco.  At  last  old  Percy,  having  supplied  these 
worthies  pretty  extensively  with  this  luxury,  and  allayed 
the  suspicions  which  he  had  reason  to  think  had  been 


74  TALES    FOE    THE    MARINES. 

excited  by  our  arrival  at  the  island,  resolved  to  act.  He 
had  learned  also  that  the  governor  was  a  Portuguese  of 
bad  character  ;  that  the  money  taken  from  the  American 
vessel  was  secreted  beneath  the  floor  of  his  house,  near 
the  beach ;  and  that  he  was  only  waiting  the  arrival  of 
a  slaving  brig,  on  a  return  trip  to  the  River  Gaboon, 
with  whose  commander  he  was  in  league,  to  transfer 
his  dollars  for  valuable  merchandise  expected  from  the 
Havana. 

Accordingly,  undet  pretence  of  more  conveniently 
taking  in  fresh  water  and  wood,  the  Juniata  was  warped 
directly  within  point  blank  range  of  the  town,  with  a 
spring  on  the  cable,  so  as  to  keep  the  broadside  ready 
for  work.  The  following  morning,  when  the  governor 
and  his  friend  were  reported  as  taking  their  noontide 
siesta,  stretched  comfortably  in  grass  hammocks,  old 
Percy  sent  him  the  following  pithy  document  :  — 

'"  Senhor  Governor  :  I  am  writing  on  the  breech  of  a 
thirty-two  pounder,  which,  together  with  nineteen  oth- 
ers on  board  my  ship,  is  carefully  pointed  at  your  resi- 
dence. There  is  a  lighted  match  in  each  of  the  guns, 
which  I  fear  will  only  burn  thirty  minutes. 

"  Please  send  me  the  sixteen  thousand  dollars  you  stole 
from  the  American  schooner  Reliance  before  that  time 
expires,  or  I  shall  send  you  more  bunches  of  iron  grapes 
than  you  can  readily  digest. 

"Excuse  haste.         J.  Percy." 


TALES    FOIl    THE    MARINES.  75 

Upon  the  reception  of  this  undiplomatic  note,  there 
was  an  awful  bobbery  raised  in  the  governor's  domicile, 
and  he  evinced  some  inclination  to  negotiate  the  affair, 
until  he  could,  perhaps,  have  removed  *his  plunder  to  a 
more  remote  and  secure  retreat.  But  observing,  by  the 
frowning  muzzles  of  our  guns,  that  we  were  quite  in 
earnest,  he  despatched  a  dory  on  board  with  a  note,  to 
say,  that  he  had  only  retained  the  money  until  a  safe 
opportunity  occurred  of  transmitting  it  to  the  rightful 
owners,  and  that  he  would  send  it  off  to  the  corvette 
immediately.  The  captain  merely  sent  v/ord  back  ^'  to 
hurry  himself;"  but  before  the  thirty  minutes  had  ex- 
pired, the  bags  of  dollars  were  deposited  on  board  the 
Juniata,  with  the  governor's  note,  (which  was  also  de- 
manded,) payable  with  rather  heavy  interest,  by  way  of 
damages,  which  we  learned  afterwards  had  been  scrupu- 
lously paid,  but  qualified  with  the  express  condition 
that  ^'  dat  dam  ole  willin  ob  buckra  man-ob-war  cappin 
come  to  St.  Tomas  no  more  !  " 

As  we  were  not  pressed  for  time,  we  remained  some 
days  longer  at  the  island,  in  expectation  of  the  arrival 
of  a  vessel  bound  to  Euro2)e  or  America,  wdiich  might 
transport  the  treasure  to  its  destination.  As  nothing 
came,  a  day  was  appointed  for  sailing  ;  and  v/ithout  re- 
ceiving the  promised  visit  from  the  governor,  or  present- 
ing him  with  more  tobacco,  the  canvas  was  shaken  from 
the  yards,  and  with  the  first  of  the  vc7itanic,  we  beat  out 
from  the  roadstead.  * 


76  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

Some  time  before  we  left  St.  Thomas,  after  the  little 
matter  of  the  money  had  been  safely  stowed  away  in 
the  magazine,  a  canoe  came  alongside,  paddled  by  a  thin, 
naked  negro,  while  two  sitters  were  squatted  on  the 
bottom.  Lying  off  from  the  corvette,  the  black  clapped 
his  palm  with  a  loud  thwack  upon  the  blade  of  his  pad- 
dle, to  attract  the  attention  of  an  officer  walking  the 
poop,  and  then  screamed  out,  in  a  gleeful  tone,  "  Ossifa, 
me  monkey  soup  —  saila  da,  him  wantee  cheep  !  " 
"  Calla-hoca  !  silence,  you  crow  !  "  said  the  man  nearest 
to  him,  in  the  boat,  as  with  a  malevolent  scowl  he  threw 
a  cocoa  nut,  which  hit  the  black  a  terrible  knock  on  the 
skull,  and  then  bounded  off  into  the  water,  without  in- 
flicting any  permanent  injury.  ^^  Cease  your  gibberish," 
he  said  in  English ;  and  at  the  same  time  he  stood  up, 
and  taking  off  a  tattered  palm  leaf  hat,  he  asked  per- 
mission to  come  on  board. 

"  Let  that  canoe  come  alongside,"  said  the  quarter 
master  on  duty  to  the  sentry  in  the  gangway,  in  obedi- 
ence to  a  nod  from  his  superior  ;  and  presently  the  two 
men  came  slowly  and  observantly  over  the  ship's  side, 
but  without  touching  their  hats  as  they  stepped  on  deck. 
Their  canoe  man,  meanwhile,  shrieked  out  as  he  j^ushed 
off,  and  beat  his  paddle  in  a  paroxysm  of  rage.  "  Him 
dam  raxal ;  make  tiburon  shark  tomak  ake  !  Cussuni 
willin  for  mash  um  head  of  poor  brak  man  !  0,  dcbbil, 
debbil !  "  Here  the  injured  darkey  snapped  his  teeth 
in  fury,  and  as  he  resumed" his  couiee  towards  the  shore, 


TALE3    FOU    THE    MAEINES.  77 

he  continued  to  pour  forth  his  vituperation  in  an  extem- 
poraneous address  to  the  whole  harbor. 

'^  "VYe  want  to  ship,"  said  our  visitors,  in  reply  to  a 
question,  as  to  their  business,  from  a  midshipman  on 
watch,  who  stood  languidly  under  the  awning,  before  the 
sea  breeze  made,  assisting  to  support  the  fife  rail  at  the 
mainmast. 

The  men  were  both  attired  in  old  straw  hats,  red 
flannel  shirts,  dirty  jean  trousers,  and  grass  slippers. 
The  spokesman  of  the  pair,  however,  wore  a  heavy  gold 
chain  around  his  neck,  to  which  could  be  seen  attached 
a  small  leather  pouch,  commonly  worn  by  sailors  to  keep 
their  money  or  trifles  in.  They  were  both  large,  pow- 
erful fellows,  evidently  seamen,  and  the  one  with  the 
chain  had  a  full  crop  of  short,  dark  curly  hair,  and  a 
pair  of  huge  whiskers,  burned  by  the  sun  and  weather, 
which  nearly  covered  his  face  and  throat.  His  eyes 
were  large,  red,  and  close  together,  while  his  nose  was 
well  shaped,  but  slightly  curved  and  choleric  looking 
towards  the  point.  His  companion  was  a  sinister-look- 
ing scoundrel,  with  a  small  squint  to  his  optics,  a  low 
brow,  and  coarse  sandy  hair.  Neither  of  them,  as  you 
may  imagine,  impressed  us  very  favorably ;  but  as  they 
seemed  stout,  hearty  fellows,  and  there  were  a  number 
of  vacancies  on  board  the  corvette,  the  officer  of  the 
watch  thought  best  to  inform  the  captain  and  first  lieu- 
tenant of  their  desire  to  ship. 

Now,  if  there  was  any  thing  that  Captain  Percy  prided 


78  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

himself  more  upon  than  his  knowledge  of  surgery  and 
the  English  language,  it  was  in  finding  out  whether  a 
man  was  a  seaman  or  not.  Accordingly,  when  I  in- 
formed him  that  there  were  a  couple  of  men  on  board 
anxious  to  ship,  he  threw  by  a  chart  he  was  inspecting, 
and  with  a  white  jacket  on,  a  toothpick  in  one  hand  and 
a  small  black  whalebone  cane  in  the  other,  he  slow^ly 
walked  out  of  his  cabin. 

The  first  lieutenant  had  by  this  time  reached  the 
deck,  and  while  he  was  interrogating  the  applicants,  the 
captain  stood  on  one  side,  and  carefully  scrutinized  them 
with  his  large  gray  eyes  nearly  closed.  The  man  with 
the  chain  seemed  to  be  rather  wearied  with  the  cross 
examination  he  had  undergone,  and  when  it  came  his 
friend's  turn,  his  gaze  wandered  about  the  decks,  until 
it  rested  with  peculiar  interest  upon  a  glittering  circle 
of  boarding  pikes  and  a  rack  of  gleaming  cutlasses  stuck 
around  the  mainmast,  and  ranged  in  form  of  a  crescent 
over  the  boom  board,  abaft  the  boats. 

At  this  moment  old  Jack  approached,  and  striking  him 
a  smart  rap  over  the  shoulder  with  his  cane,  said,  "  Xot 
so  bad  as  the  lick  you  gave  that  poor  nigger  with  the 
cocoa  nut !  was  it  ?  "  The  man  whirled  round,  and  with 
the  worst  expression  of  countenance,  betwixt  rage  and 
wonder,  I  ever  saw,  looked  as  if  he  would  have  sprung 
at  the  captain's  throat.  Old  Percy,  however,  stood  quite 
unmoved,  and  continuing  his  discourse  as  if  nothing 
had  occurred,  went  on  with,  «  Pretty  weepons  those," 


TALES    FOR    THE  MARLXES.  79 

pomting  to  the  small  arms^  and  nodding  witli  a  meaning 
smile ;  but  suddenly  pausing,  he  resumed  with  a  quick, 
sharp  voice,  "Where  are  yon  from,  sir,  and  how  did 
the  pair  of  you  get  here  ?  "  "  We  left  an  English 
bark  on  the  Gold  Coast,  came  over  here  in  a  Callongo3 
trader,  and  were  robbed  of  all  we  had  the  day  we 
landed." 

"  There's  three  lies  to  begin  with,"  edged  in  old  Jack  ; 
"  and  where  do  you  hail  from  ?  "  he  inquired.  "  Born 
in  New  Orleans,"  replied  the  fellow,  doggedly.  "  That's 
lie  number  four.  I  would  sooner  have  believed  you  if 
you'd  sworn  you  died  there.  However,  Hope,"  he 
said,  turning  to  his  next  in  command,  "  as  the  govern- 
ment holds  out  inducements  for  such  fictions  in  shipping 
sailors,  you  can  take  them.  But  hark  ye,  my  friends  ;  be- 
have well,  and  you'll  be  treated  properly  ;  but  in  case  I 
find  ye  ondeficient  in  duty,"  —  and  here  he  waved  his 
whalebone  cane  slowly  in  the  air,  — "  I'll  make  you 
dance  without  music." 

As  the  captain  turned  on  his  heel,  I  noticed  the  fel- 
low with  the  chain  follow  him  with  a  look  of  malis^nant 
hate ;  but  he  presently  resumed  a  show  of  indifi'erence, 
and  accompanied  his  companion  down  the  hatchway,  to 
be  examined  by  the  surgeons,  and  sign  the  shipping  ar- 
ticles. I  saw  no  more  of  them  for  a  day  or  two,  until  I 
recognized  them  dressed  in  the  uniform  rig  of  the  crew, 
and  learned  that  they  were  stationed  in  the  maintop. 

I  think  I  told    you,  Fred,  said    the    Lieutenant,    as 


bU  TALES   TOR  THE   MARINES. 

he  took  the  cheroot  from  his  lips,  and  settled  himself 
cozily  before  the  fire,  that  we  beat  out  of  St.  Thomas's 
with  the  ventanie,  a  sort  of  sea  breeze,  only  it  blows 
from  the  adjoining  coast  of  Benin,  and  the  swamps  and 
rivers  of  that  neighborhood.  Well,  we  had  scarcely 
cleared  the  anchorage  before  it  fell  calm ;  and  there  we 
lay  backing  and  filling,  with  calms  and  pufis,  all  night. 
The  next  day  the  breeze  did  not  make  at  all,  and  the 
weather  was  as  close,  sultry,  and  uncomfortable  as  it  is 
reasonable  to  expect  it  should  be  directly  under  the 
equator.  The  barometer,  too,  after  fluctuating  all  day, 
towards  nightfall  gave  a  sudden  pitch  downwards  of  a 
full  quarter  of  an  inch ;  and  then  arose  a  brown,  dirty 
haze  away  in  the  east.  We  were,  at  this  time,  only  a 
few  miles  in  the  offing,  and  I  believe,  had  the  channel 
back  to  the  anchorage  been  less  intricate,  we  should 
have  up  helm  and  ran  back  to  the  governor  again.  As 
it  was,  without  a  pilot  and  darkness  coming  on,  the  cap- 
tain resolved  to  creep  off  the  land  as  far  as  possible, 
and  be  prepared  for  any  emergency.  So  at  sunset  the 
royal  and  topgallant  yards  were  sent  down,  and  the  light 
sails  out  of  the  tops. 

As  it  was  not  my  business,  in  those  days,  to  meddle 
with  the  weather,  or  to  hold  myself  responsible  for  the 
sail  on  the  ship,  or  do  aught  else  save  eat,  and  sleep, 
and  lark,  and  make  as  much  mischief  as  could  well  be 
made  in  each  twenty-four  hours,  —  moreover,  as  it  was  not 
my  watch,  — you  may,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  take 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  81 

my  word  for  it,  that  I  was  snoozing  soundly  in  my 
dream  bag.  I  first  took  the  precaution,  however,  of 
examining  my  clews,  to  assure  myself  that  none  of  my 
messmates  had  passed  slippery  hitches,  to  spill  me  un- 
awares. Then,  being  carefully  tucked  in  by  honest  Kit, 
I  was  casting  up  a  rough  estimate,  in  my  dreams,  as  to 
the  precise  number  of  bananas  and  oranges  I  might  filch 
from  the  gun  room  fruit  nets,  hanging  from  the  stern 
boat,  when  I  was  ai'oused  by  a  sharp  and  vicious  tweak 
of  my  nose ;  which  was  considered  a  great  feat  in 
those  days,  and  could  only  be  scientifically  executed,  on 
account  of  the  diminutive  size  of  that  useful  organ, 
when  I  was  asleep.  At  the  same  instant,  I  heard  a  tovy-- 
headed  youngster,  about  my  own  age,  roar  out  in  my 
ear,  while  he  held  a  flaring  horn  lantern  close  to  my 
eyes,  "  Heave  out,  Hariy  ;  it's  all  hands."  ^^  Yes,"  said 
I,  "  and  feet  too,"  as  I  recovered  my  faculties ;  and 
doubhng  myself  up  quickly,  I  contrived  to  kick  my 
fi'iend  with  his  lantern  under  the  steerage  ladder.  Then 
I  rolled  out  of  the  opposite  side  of  my  hammock,  while 
my  tormentor  picked  himself  up,  and  hui'riedly  capsized 
all  the  other  hammocks  within  reach.  He  afterwards 
aroused,  though  in  a  more  respectful  manner,  the  offi- 
cers in  the  gun  room. 

I  had  barely  enticed  my  legs  into  my  trousers,  when 
I  heard  the  sharp  ring  of  the  boatswain's  whistle,  fol- 
lowed by  the  short  call  of  "  All  hands  !  "  and  repeated 
by  the  corporals  on  the  berth  deck,  vrith  the  additional 


82  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

warning  of  "  Come  !  D'ye  hear  the  word  !  Tumble  up 
there  !     Be  smart !  " 

I  gained  the  spar  deck,  and  at  once  took  my  station 
at  the  captain's  elbow  on  the  poop.  The  ship  was  un- 
der double-reefed  topsails,  a  reef  in  the  courses,  and  the 
bonnet  off  the  jib.  "  Bless  me,"  here  softly  remarked 
a  well-dressed,  fairy-footed  damsel,  sitting  within  ear- 
shot of  the  Lieutenant,  and  who  was  known  to  have  a 
fondness  for  tripping  along  narrow  streets,  during  the 
prevalence  of  high  gales  — "  Bless  me,  don't  they 
allow  bonnets  to  be  worn  in  stormy  weather  at  sea?" 
But  the  narrator,  now  accustomed  to  these  observations, 
smiled  at  the  young  person's  ignorance  of  marine  insti- 
tutions, and  made  no  pause  in  his  narrative. 

The  wind  had  come  out  from  the  eastward,  and  was 
increasing  every  minute.  The  clouds  came  rolling  over 
like  masses  of  black  wool,  with  a  little  spit  of  rain  at 
intervals,  and  slightly  scented  with  the  noxious  exhala- 
tions from  the  muddy  Biver  Gaboon,  on  the  continental 
coast.  Then  the  gusts  would  rise  with  fitful  violence, 
and  the  lightnings  were  tremulous  and  incessant  all 
around  the  horizon.  But  the  wind  was  not  yet  steady, 
and  kept  flickering  about  for  an  hour  or  more,  when, 
having  selected  the  proper  point,  it  settled  down  into  a 
hard  gale,  and  came  thundering  on  over  the  sea,  — 
which,  in  a  blaze  of  phosphorescent  light,  illumined  the 
dark,  murky  clouds  above,  —  and  piping  and  crying 
through  the  rigging,  and  snapping  the  taut  ropes  against 
the  spars  in  fury. 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  83 

The  tliird  reef  was  taken  in  the  topsails,  and  the 
close  reef  in  the  courses  ;  and  even  then  the  ship  was 
quivering  and  cleaving  through  the  sea,  close  by  the 
wind,  with  as  much  sail  as  she  could  comfortably  stag- 
ger under. 

"  How's  that  barometer  !  "  exclaimed  the  captain,  as 
the  mate  of  the  watch  reported  the  speed  of  the  ship  at 
eight  knots.  ''  Falling,  sir."  "  And  the  time  ?  "  "  Three 
bells  past  midnight."  "  Tell  the  sailing  master  I  want 
him."  That  officer  was  standing  near  by  at  the  wheel, 
carefully  observing  the  compass  card  as  it  marked  how 
the  vessel's  head  lay.  ^'  Mr.  Balmy,  this  way,  sir." 
And,  as  he  approached  his  commander,  the  latter  said,  in 
a  low  voice,  "  Take  a  look  at  the  chart  in  the  cabin,  and 
tell  me  as  near  as  possible  how  that  point  on  our  beam 
bears,  and  how  far  off  the  outer  reef  is  ?  Hope,"  he 
added  to  the  first  lieutenant,  ^'  it's  touch  and  go  — 
down,  perhaps ;  but  we  must  do  the  best  we  can,  and 
I'll  take  the  conn."  That  moment  the  master  returned, 
and  reported  the  Island  of  Rotes  on  the  beam,  and  that 
the  Irmaoes  rocks  bore  south-south-west,  about  fourteen 
miles  distant.  '^  May  the  Lord  deliver  us,"  piously 
ejaculated  the  captain,  as  he  threw  off  his  coat  and  cap, 
and  springing  into  the  quarter  boat,  in  his  shirt  sleeves, 
seized  the  iron  chain  span  with  one  hand,  while  he  care- 
fully peered  all  around  ;  and  then,  in  his  shrill,  high- 
pitched  voice,  that  could  be  heard  where  at  times  the 
boatswain's  whistle  could  not  reach,  he  sung  out,  "  Mr. 


84  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 

Hope,  sliake  a  reef  out  of  the  fore  and  maintopsails." 
*^  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  "  The  order  was  at  once  given  tlu^ough 
the  trumpet,  and  the  topmen  were  soon  on  the  yards 
castinof  oiF  the  reef  knots.  A  minute  or  two  later,  the 
yards  were  hoisted  so  as  to  spread  the  sail  that  had  been 
shaken  out,  and  the  captain  watched  the  effect  upon  the 
ship  with  intense  interest.  "  How  does  she  head  ?  " 
he  asked.  "Due  south,  sir,  and  going  off  a  little."  " 
"  Hope,"  he  shouted  again,  as  he  held  on  with  one  ai"m 
round  the  forward  davit,  "we  must  turn  the  second 
reef  out  of  the  courses."  "By  St.  Peter!"  gasped 
the  officer ;  but  the  orders  were  given.  "  Aloft  there, 
quarter  gunners  and  forecastle  men,  and  see  your 
pomts  clear  !  Man  tacks  and  sheets !  "  while  the  captain, 
whom  I  had  followed  into  the  boat,  told  me  to  sKde 
down  the  backstays,  run  forward,  and  tell  I^t  Dolphin 
to  take  the  weather  wheel. 

The  gale  was  now  at  its  height,  and  every  five  minutes 
a  heavy  squall  of  rain  would  sweep  over  the  ship,  and 
she  would  be  buried  waist  deep  in  the  seas,  which  came 
pouring  over  the  bows  and  lee  gunwale  in  a  perfect 
cataract. 

The  additional  weight  of  sail  that  the  corvette  was 
now  under,  had  there  been  any  great  plunge  in  the 
motion  of  the  vessel,  would  have  taken  the  masts  and 
hamper  out  of  her,  even  with  the  deck,  in  one  puff;  but 
the  violence  of  the  wind  thus  far  had  almost  blown  the 
sea  smooth,  and  as  the  topsails  were  clewed  down  during 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  85 

the  bursting  of  the  squalls,  not  a  seam  had  started  or  a 
rope  yarn  stranded. 

Meanwhile,  the  captain  conned  the  ship,  and  there  he 
stood  with  liis  white  hair  streaming  in  the  wind,  and  his 
clear  voice  ringing  out  high  above  the  tempest,  like  the 
scream  of  an  eagle,  as  he  gave  directions  to  the  men  at 
the  wheel.  '^  Luff,  I  say,  luff!  nothing  off.  Dolphin ; 
watch  her  sharp,  and  don't  shake  a  thread."  And 
by  the  binnacle  lights  the  brawny  arms  of  four  men 
were  seen  interlaced  one  with  another  round  the  spokes, 
as  they  gave  or  wound  the  raw  hide  tiller  ropes  inch 
by  inch. 

We  had  now  approached  within  fearful  proximity  to 
the  land,  and  since  the  ship  was  partially  embayed  be- 
tween the  two  arms  of  the  bight,  our  only  alternative 
w^as  to  weather  the  leewardmost  one,  where  rose  the 
Irmaoes  rocks,  or  be  crushed  to  atoms  on  the  island 
itself  "  How's  the  barometer  ?  "  asked  old  Percy  for 
the  twentieth  time.  "  At  a  stand  and  convex  on  the  sur- 
face," replied  the  precise  Mr.  Balmy.  "  Ah,  ha !  give 
me  no  worse,  good  San  Antonio ;  the  gale  will  break  by 
daylight."  "  She's  come  up  half  a  pint,"  blurted  out 
Kit  Dolphin,  in  a  deep  bass.  "All  right,  boy,  close  at 
it ;  and  now,  my  beauty,"  I  heard  old  Percy  say  to  him- 
self, ^^  I'll  not  scratch  your  pretty  bottom  this  bout !  " 
when  at  that  moment,  during  a  furious  gust,  we  heard  a 
report  like  a  cannon,  and  a  dozen  voices  exclaimed, 
"  The  lee  maintopsail  sheet's  parted."  The  clew  of  the 
8 


86  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

sail  gave  one  violent  flap,  the  lee  brace  snapped  at  the 
belaying  pin,  while  the  wind  caught  the  sail  full  aback 
against  the  topmast,  and  at  the  same  time  the  ship  fell 
off  a  point  and  a  half.  "  May  the  villain  who  wove  that 
rope  have  his  neck  twisted  in  a  stronger,"  groaned  the 
captain ;  but  again  his  shrill  voice  rose  in  a  stream  of 
yells.  "  Mr.  Hope,  give  the  ship  the  whole  courses, 
sir !  clew  up  and  cut  adrift  that  topsail !  see  the  lee 
lower  lifts  taut,  and  the  tacks  close  down ;  and  don't 
shake  a  rag  of  canvas,  Mr.  Balmy,  or  we'll  have  nothing 
but  a  press  of  bolt  ropes  to  weather  those  rocks  there 
ahead.     Move  there,  you  maintopmen ;  out  knives  and 

cut." 

Notwithstanding  the  imminent  peril  in  which  the  ship 
was  placed  by  the  inopportune  accident  to  the  topsail, 
and  the  urgent  necessity  of  getting  quit  of  it  as  soon 
as  possible,  the  men,  apparently  appalled  by  the  fury 
and  overwhelming  power  of  the  tempest,  hesitated  about 
going  out  on  the  lee  yard,  where  the  shreds  of  canvas, 
stranded  ropes,  and  blocks  were  beating,  writhing,  and 
twisting  around  it  like  the  folds  of  the  serpents  around 
Laocoon. 

"  Quick,  I  say,"  reiterated  the  captain ;  and  as  the 
topmen  still  hesitated,  he  snatched  a  sheath  knife  from 
the  belt  of  a  quarter  master  at  his  side,  and  leaping 
from  the  boat  to  the  back  stays,  in  a  second  he  was 
travelling  rapidly  up  the  main  shrouds.  He  soon  gained 
the  top ;  but  on  he  went  up  the  rigging  to  the  topmast 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  87 

head.  Another  brief  space,  and  we  could  see  hiin,  in 
his  white  shirt,  slipping  cautiously  down  by  the  lee  top- 
sail lift.  Out  of  very  shame  a  dozen  sailors  had  fol- 
lowed ;  for  by  this  time  the  yard  was  resting  on  the  cap, 
the  weather  earing  and  clew  of  the  sail  having  been 
detached,  and  was  standing  straight  out,  with  the  vio- 
lence of  the  gale,  to  leeward,  while  nothing  confined  it 
to  the  yard  save  the  earings  of  the  lee  leech. 

At  this  critical  moment,  old  Percy  reached  the  yard 
arm,  and  with  one  foot  on  the  flemish  hawse,  he  divided 
the  lashings  and  seizings,  and  the  rent  flax  flew  away  in 
the  gloom.  While  this  intrepid  act  was  in  progress, 
the  topmen,  recovering  from  their  panic,  jyere  crowding 
out  on  the  yard,  but  all  too  late  for  the  service  that  had 
been  needed,  when,  just  as  the  captain  turned  to  move  in 
by  the  foot  ropes,  something  gave  way  beneath  him, 
and  he  was  precipitated  with  a  jerk  from  the  yard. 
My  heart  ceased  to  beat ;  but  as  a  score  of  voices  yelled 
out,  "  Man  overboard,"  I  saw  the  white  figure  of  the 
captain  arrested  in  his  descent  by  the  lower  lift,  and 
shortly  afterwards  he  alighted  on  the  main  yard,  and 
came  down  the  ratlines  to  the  deck.  Such  a  narrow 
escape  from  what  seemed  inevitable  death  I  had  never 
even  heard  of. 

The  Juniata,  relieved  of  her  torn  topsail,  and  under 
the  full  drop  of  her  courses,  had  again  maintained  her 
hold  on  the  wind ;  and  on  she  rushed  with  her  lee  bat- 
tery and  hammock  nettings  under  water,  while  her  head 


88  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

scarcely  looked  clear  of  the  ugly  mass  of  reef  and  rocks, 
which  we  could  now  plainly  see  within  a  mile  of  us. 

"  Ten  minutes  more^  Hope,"  said  old  Jack,  in  a  firm 
though  weak  voice,  to  the  excellent  officer  at  his  side, 
as  he  held  on  to  his  arm  and  the  mizzen  shrouds,  while 
I  noticed  that  his  shirt  was  stained  with  blood  and  his 
face  dreadfully  lacerated. 

"Nothing  off.  Dolphin,"  he  continued  cheerfully. 
"  There,  that  will  do,"  he  added  as  the  gale  favored  us 
at  the  proper  moment  —  "  rap  full,  and  no  nearer."  The 
stern  rocks  toppled  high  against  the  sky  above  our 
heads,  like  grim  giants  of  the  ocean  ready  to  destroy  us, 
while  the  seas  were  breaking  like  mad  about  their  feet. 
The  corvette  reeled  as  she  rose  on  the  swell  caused  by 
the  violent  reaction,  and  then,  when  we  expected  every 
second  to  feel  the  crash  of  the  stout  timbers  beneath  us 
upon  the  foaming  reefs,  the  next  glare  of  lightning 
showed  them  to  us  over  the  lee  quarter. 

Then  burst  forth  a  relieved  shout  of  triumph  from  the 
hitherto  breathless  crew  and  officers  as  they  stood  await- 
ing their  impending  doom,  under  the  lee  of  the  weather 
bulwarks.  "  All  clear,  sir,"  roared  the  sailing  master ; 
but  the  captain  made  no  reply.  He  took  me  by  the  ear, 
however,  and  whispered,  "Harry,  tell  the  siu'geon  I 
want  him  ;  "  and  then  in  a  louder  tone,  "  Hope,  look 
out  for  the  ship,  and  make  all  snug.  I  want  a  nap."  And 
so  the  old  man  entered  his  cabin. 

Before  sunrise  the  gale  broke  and  the  wind  rapidly 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAUINES.  89 

abated,  preceded,  however,  by  a  double  barrelled  suc- 
cession of  awful  peals  of  thunder,  which  drove  away  the 
blue-flamed  corposans  from  the  tips  of  our  masts,  where 
they  had  been  perched  during  the  storm.  The  clouds 
broke  away,  the  glorious  sun  shone  out  hot  and  clear, 
and  before  noon  the  regular  trade  clouds  in  their  fleecy 
beauty  were  moving  through  the  heavens,  and  with  all 
our  drawing  canvas  spread,  we  steered  for  Brazil. 

For  some  days  old  Percy  did  not  stir  out  of  his 
cabin,  and  all  reports  v/ere  made  to  the  second  in  com- 
mand, until  one  morning,  about  ten  o'clock,  the  door 
swung  open  and  he  appeared  on  deck.  He  was  attired 
in  an  old  uniform  coat,  which  had  once  been  blue,  but 
the  sun  had  burned  it  to  a  pale  green,  and  a  pair  of  rusty 
epaulets,  with  a  straight  sword  in  one  hand,  which  he 
used  as  a  walking  cane,  and  a  yellow  leather  bound 
book  in  the  other,  with  a  finger  between  the  leaves. 
His  face  was  paler  than  usual,  and  there  vv'as  a  broad 
linen  bandage  passed  over  his  head  and  under  his  chin, 
while  he  moved  his  left  arm  as  if  in  pain.  "  All  hands 
witness  punishment,"  said  he,  with  a  nod  to  the  officer 
of  the  watch,  as  he  returned  his  salute  from  the  horse 
block. 

Presently  the  officers  were  all  assembled  on  the  quar- 
ter deck,  the  marines  drawn  up  to  leeward,  the  gratings 
laid  at  *  the  gangway,  the  seizings  passed,  the  quarter 
masters  near,  and  the  boatswain,  with  his  lusty  mates  and 
a  green  bag  containing  the  cats,  stood  ready,  while  the 
8* 


90  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

remainder  of  tlie  corvette's  crew  were  clustered  about 
the  boats  and  mainmast. 

When  the  officers  and  crew  were  reported  up,  the 
captain  turned  to  the  first  lieutenant  with,  "  Mr.  Hope, 
send  for  the  station  bill  and  muster  the  maintopmen." 
The  names  of  the  men  of  both  watches  were  called,  and 
as  the  individuals  answered,  they  ranged  themselves  on 
either  side  of  the  fife  rail. 

"  Michael  Maginnis,"  repeated  the  captain,  and  out 
stepped  a  short  squat-built  little  Irishman ;  and  taking 
off  his  hat,  he  smoothed  his  bristles  with  a  respectful 
air,  and  awaited  his  fate.  Mickey  was  a  particular  friend 
of  mine,  for  he  had  pricked  a  variety  of  China  ink 
devices  of  ships,  anchors,  and  crucifixes  on  my  arms, 
had  taught  me  to  play  Spanish  draughts  in  the  top,  and 
other  valuable  sea  miscellany  for  pastime.  Mickey  had 
his  failings,  like  all  the  rest  of  mankind,  in  a  too  ardent 
attachment  for  "  sperits  "  and  tobacco ;  but  it  was  his 
boast,  however,  that  though  he  might  lose  his  reason 
occasionally,  yet  he  never  lost  his  old  pipe,  drunk  or 
sober.  To  guard  against  such  a  misfortune,  he  had  a 
pair  of  his  lower  teeth  filed  with  a  circular  aperture, 
where  he  inserted  his  pipe,  which  was  of  silver,  and 
toggling  it  on  the  inside,  he  thus  defied  fate.  The  re- 
mainder of  his  incisors  also  presented  a  rather  singular 
appearance,  they  being  by  nature  small  and  pointed, 
similar  to  a  cross  cut  saw,  or  a  double  row  of  letter  Ys. 
On  the  occasion  I  speak  of,  Mickey  had  his  arm  in  a 
sling. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  M 

**  Magiunls,"  was  the  captain's  address,  "  where  were 
you  the  other  night  when  the  order  was  given  to  cut 
adrift  the  maintopsail  ?  "  "  Av  ye  plaze,  sir,  I  pitched 
on  till  the  yard,  afore  ye  gave  the  order,  and  thin  I  had 
me  fist  here  smashed  by  a  flip  from  the  bowlin'  bridle, 
which  obliged  me  to  swing  meself  back  to  the  lower 
cap,  sir."  This  speech  was  so  frank  and  respectful,  as 
he  drew  forth  his  mutilated  hand  in  its  splints  and  band- 
ages, while  the  surgeon  corroborated  the  extent  of  the 
injury,  that  we  waited  with  some  anxiety  to  see  if  his 
commander  would  punish  him. 

"  Stand  aside,  sir,"  was  the  only  order  he  received. 
*^  Christopher  Dolphin,"  was  the  next  name  called  ;  and 
forth  broke  Kit  from  the  throng  of  his  shipmates  near 
the  booms,  for  he  did  not  belong  to  the  maintop,  and 
doffing  his  hat,  he  looked  the  captain  full  in  the  face. 
There  was  a  sort  of  reddened  glow  about  the  white 
seam  on  his  w^ounded  cheek,  and  a  sad  and  surprised 
look  in  his  eyes ;  but  yet  he  never  quailed.  My  heart 
sank  within  me  when  I  beheld  my  faithful  friend,  who, 
to  my  recollection,  never  had  a  cross  word  given  him, 
much  less  a  stripe  of  those  tearing  cats  athwart  his 
honest  back.  Had  I  dared,  I  should  have  rushed  out 
and  interceded  for  my  trusty  companion ;  and  I  would 
willingly  have  taken  the  blows  which  I  believed  were 
about  to  be  inflicted  on  him;  but  the  rigid  discipline 
and  ceremony  of  the  quarter  deck  held  me  back. 

"  Dolphin,"  said  the  captain,  "  how  long  have  you 


02  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

been  in  service?"  "Neber  but  once  afore,  sir." 
"  When  was  that  ?  "  "  In  de  fight  wid  de  Wasp  and 
Frolic,  sir."  "Ay,  I  remember,  you  and  Lang  were 
the  first  to  board."  The  black  made  no  reply.  "  Stand 
there."  The  captain  pointed  with  his  sword  to  a  place 
beside  Maginnis,  and  then  went  on,  turning  towards  the 
crew.  "  Listen  to  me,  lads.  I  never  overlook  good  or 
bad  conduct.  That  man,"  (designating  my  Lish  beauty,) 
"  did  his  duty.  I  make  him  captain  of  the  maintop,  and  I 
shall  give  him  a  week's  liberty  when  the  ship  reaches 
port.  And  you.  Dolphin,  for  steering  this  vessel  like  a 
skilful  and  prudent  seaman,  when  a  hair's  variation 
would  have  smashed  us  on  the  rocks,  I  rate  you  my 
cockswain."  Then,  after  a  slight  but  impressive  pause, 
he  opened  the  articles  of  war,  and  read  aloud,  '•'  Any 
person  in  the  navy  who  shall  negligently  perform  his 
duty  shall  be  punished  at  the  discretion  of  the  captain." 
Here  he  called  out,  "  Thomas  Murden  ;  "  and  the  burly 
shoulders  and  ugly  squint  of  one  of  the  fellows  who 
had  been  shipped  at  St.  Thomas  protruded  themselves 
from  the  line  of  his  topmates.  "  Seize  him  up !  " 
The  cats  were  taken  out  of  their  case,  the  blows  fell,  and 
the  wretch  stood  in  perfect  indifference  to  his  punish- 
ment, while  the  corporal  counted  to  twelve,  when  the 
order  was  given,  "  Stop  !  "  He  put  on  his  blue  flannel 
shirt  with  a  sneer,  rolled  his  quid  about  in  his  ugly 
mug,  and  seemed  well  satisfied  to  get  off  so  easily. 
There  were  three  or  four  more  served  in  the  same  way. 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  93 

before  the  name  of  ^*  William  Lowther  "  was  called,  the 
companion  of  Thomas  Murden. 

The  captain  had  remained  quite  unconcerned  and  ap- 
parently abstracted  during  the  foregoing  work,  until  the 
last  man's  name  caught  his  ear,  when  he  started,  and 
fixed  his  piercing  gray  eye  upon  him  with  a  look  of  the 
deepest  meaning. 

"And  where  were  you,  sir  ?  "  he  broke  out  in  a  sharp, 
curt  tone.  "  I  got  on  the  yard  as  soon  as  I  could," 
replied  the  man,  with  a  surly,  insolent  air  and  look. 
"  Ay,  you  scoundrel,  and  you  cut  the  flemish  hawse 
seizing  by  accident,  eh !  after  I  had  cleared  away  the 
head  lashing  of  the  topsail.  Strip  !  and  thank  God  that 
I  haven't  hung  you  from  that  yard  arm  there  before 
now."  The  fellow  looked  savagely  around  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then,  with  a  threatening  gesture,  he  stepped 
forward  a  pace,  and  asked,  "  If  I'm  to  be  flogged,  I'm 
blasted  if  I  wouldn't  like  to  know  what  for."  Like  a 
flash  old  Percy's  straight  rapier  leaped  from  its  sheath, 
and  as  he  made  a  lunge  right  for  the  man's  heart,  ex- 
claiming, "  Mutiny,  eh  !  "  the  first  lieutenant  threw  his 
arms  around  him,  and  barely  succeeded  in  arresting  the 
pass ;  but  the  glittering  steel  quivered  like  a  viper's 
tongue  at  Lowther's  throat,  and  the  sweat  fell  from  his 
face  in  greal  drops.  In  another  moment,  perfectly  pas- 
sive, he  was  seized  by  the  petty  officers  and  triced  up  to 
the  gangway. 

*'  Stop  a  bit,"  said  the  old  captain,  as  his  face  resumed 


94  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

its  wonted  expression ;  ^*'  that  rascal's  blood  ^yants  cool- 
ing ;  one  of  you  there  draw  a  bucket  of  salt  water  and 
fetch  a  tin  pot."  The  brine  was  soon  brought  to  the 
gangway,  and  a  brimming  quart  tin  goblet  filled,  when 
the  captain  continued,  "Take  your  sedlitz,"  —  sycUeetz 
he  pronounced  it,  — "  it  will  serve  to  carry  off  your 
bile  !  "  The  culprit  gulped  it  down  without  a  word. 
''  ISTow,"  added  old  Jack  to  the  boatswain,  with  a  precise 
admonition,  "flog  the  villain  well. "  The  cords  whirled 
round  with  their  claws  clear,  and  came  down  in  stinsr- 
ing  cuts,  that  made  him  wince  and  whine  at  every 
stroke.  At  the  thirtieth  blow,  the  captain  said,  "  Enough. 
Mr.  Hope,  put  Lowther  in  double  irons,  and  repeat  this 
dose  every  other  morning  for  three  days.  Pipe  down, 
sir." 

"And  we  will  pipe  up,  if  you  please,  Mr.  Gringo," 
said  the  youthful  matron,  as,  rising,  she  distributed  the 
bed  room  candlesticks. 


CHAPTEE    IV. 

The  evening  after  tlie  unpleasant  events  I  Lave  re- 
lated to  you,  I  was  whiling  away  a  few  leisure  moments 
in  the  innocent  diversion  of  trying  to  paint  a  sleeping 
messmate's  face,  witli  lampblack  from  the  binnacles, 
when  I  received  the  following  laconic  billet :  "  Sir,  at 
the  calling  of  the  watch,  you  will  repair  to  the  starboard 
steerage,  and  report  yourself  for  service,  with  a  wine 
glass.  —  Saturday  Night.'' 

This  peremptory  official  document  was  written  on 
coarse  cartridge  paper,  and  signed  by  a  representation 
of  an  imp  dancing  a  pas  seul  on  a  corkscrew.  Accord- 
ingly, as  the  bell  struck  eight,  I  very  promptly  entered 
the  berth  where  I  had  been  directed  to  report,  and  being 
hoisted,  by  a  summary  process,  head  foremost  over  the 
backs  of  the  party  already  assembled,  I  was  rammed, 
like  a  gun  wad,  into  a  small  crevice  between  a  mess 
locker  and  a  pile  of  cocked  hat  and  quadrant  cases. 

A  solid  cherry  wood  table,  with  the  leaves  spread, 
nearly  filled  the  apartment,  leaving  barely  room  for  the 
camp  stools  and  their  occupants,  ranged  at  the  sides. 
A  swinging  lamp  was  attached  from  the  beam  over- 
head, which  shed   a  strong  light  and  heat  around  ;  but 

(95) 


k 


96  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

the  air  ports  and  a  windsail,  wMcli  was  led  into  the 
berth,  just  saved  us  from  the  tortures  of  suffocation. 

The  mess  was  composed  of  the  usual  heterogeneous 
collection  of  mates  and  midshipmen,  varying  from  the 
ages  of  thirteen  to  thirty,  though  the  latter,  not  only 
by  long  tradition,  but  usage,  were  treated  as  much  like 
boys  as  the  former;  nor  would  the  case  have  been 
altered  in  the  least  degree,  had  they  been  grandfathers. 
They  came  from  all  parts  of  the  broad  United  States, 
from  the  eastern  limits  of  New  England  and  the 
Atlantic  seaboard  to  the  backwoods  and  down  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 

Many  of  us,  however,  knew  what  a  ship  was,  and  had 
picked  up  a  little  primary  nautical  knowledge  from  a 
residence  in  seaport  cities  where  ships  were  objects  of 
hourly  observation.  But  there  were  others  who  had 
never  seen  a  mast  sticking  out  of  a  vessel's  deck,  and 
were  as  ignorant  of  the  life  and  profession  they  were 
called  to  assume,  as  an  oyster  might  be  supposed  to  be 
of  the  satellites  of  Jupiter.  Strange  enough  that  some 
of  these  last  took  to  their  avocations  more  naturally,  and 
made  eventually  far  better  officers,  than  those  who  had 
been  reared  amid  the  cheeping  of  blocks  and  the  smell 
of  that  marine  perfume  —  tar. 

We  had  one  great  strapping  fellow,  who,  after  many 
days'  travel  away  from  the  clearings  of  the  remote  set- 
tlements, at  last  reached  his  destination,  and  entered  the 
gates  of  the   dock  yard,  astride  of  his  steed  and  saddle 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  97 

bags.  In  obedience  to  directions  which  had  been  vol- 
unteered him  from  a  demure  reefer  at  the  gates,  he 
hitched  his  trusty  charger  to  a  ringbolt  of  the  receiving 
hulk  moored  at  the  pier ;  but  while  he  was  on  board 
reporting  and  being  introduced  to  his  new  home  and 
companions,  the  tide  rose  and  pulled  his  faithful  animal 
and  saddle  bags  into  the  dock.  It  was  not  long,  how- 
ever, before  Ripley,  the  honest  soul,  learned  to  distin- 
guish the  ropes  as  well  as  the  sharpest  of  us,  and  from 
his  very  kindness  of  heart  we  all  loved  him. 

There  was  another  big  fellow  named  Slade,  but  he 
was  of  quite  a  different  stamp.  He  had  been  a  "  bilger  " 
at  his  examinations  for  the  second  time,  and  was  again 
on  probation  for  another  trial.  He  was  a  devoted  lover 
of  field  sports,  knew  the  pedigree  and  exploits  of  every 
horse  in  the  racing  calendar,  and  prided  himself,  of  all 
things,  upon  his  skill  in  gaffing  game  cocks  with  steel 
spurs  as  sharp  as  needles,  so  that  the  "  poultry  "  might 
kill  one  another  at  the  first  fly,  whenever  a  private  cock- 
pit could  be  held  without  danger  of  interruption  under 
the  forecastle. 

Tom  Slade  did  not  apparently  own  much  shirt  prop- 
erty, for  he  was  very  scantily  supplied  with  those  essen- 
tials, and  with  respect  to  coats,  he  had  not  a  decent  one 
to  his  broad  back.  Indeed,  it  was  not  often  that  he 
required  those  outward  luxuries,  as  he  rarely  went  on 
shore  for  pleasure,  except  to  act  as  principal  or  second 
in  a  duel,  or  umpire  in  a  horserace ;  and  then  he  took 
9 


i)8  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

tlie  privilege  of  his  age  and  strength,  and  rigged  him- 
self out  in  the  best  raiment  the  kits  of  his  messmates 
afforded-  Albeit  he  was  on  those  gala  occasions  a 
very  taking  fellow,  yet  when  the  night  set  in  he  was 
usually  brought  on  board  in  an  unconscious  state. 
Years  rolled  on ;  he  left  the  service,  and  was  killed  one 
day  by  an  Indian  rifle  bullet,  during  the  Seminole  war 
in  Florida,  while  trying  to  make  a  loaded  team  leap  a 
pine  tree  across  the  road,  in  the  heart  of  a  thick  forest. 

"We  had  another  victim  to  blue  water  ruin  also,  whom 
we  called  Bonny  Baily.  He  was  a  little  red-headed  fel- 
low, who  got  maudlin  not  unfrequently,  and  in.  that 
condition  was  in  the  habit  of  requesting  some  one  of  his 
messmates  to  take  three  or  four  loaded  pistols  and 
explode  them  into  his  lacerated  bosom,  declaring  him- 
self disgusted  with  the  world,  and  the  first  lieutenant 
particularly.  His  turn  came  ;  he  was  cashiered,  lectured 
for  a  time  as  a  reformed  drunkard,  then  tried  his  talents 
as  a  Methodist  parson,  ran  off  with  one  of  the  lambs 
of  his  flock,  and  finally  died  in  the  almshouse. 

Among  the  more  juvenile  denizens  of  the  Juniata's 
steerages,  there  were  a  number  of  fine,  well-behaved 
youths,  who,  steering  clear  of  the  shoals  and  reefs 
which  beset  the  path  of  inexperience,  escaped  all  dan- 
ger, and  are  now  carrying  their  canvas  gallantly  in  open 
water,  leading  lives  alike  honorable  to  their  country  and 
to  themselves.  As  I  pass  them  in  review  before  me, 
while  busy  memories  flit  in  lights   and   shadows,  it  is 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  99 

very  pleasant  to  me  to  reflect  that  there  are  many  of 
these  my  boyish  comrades  whose  early  impulsive  yearn- 
ings have  never  been  weakened  by  time  or  circumstance, 
or  the  cold  and  stern  realities  of  manhood.  Believe  me, 
Fred,  and  give  heed  to  the  knowledge  which  I  have 
only  bought  by  constant  attrition  in  the  world,  —  never 
forsake  the  person  who  has  stood  by  you  in  the  hour  of 
need  for  all  the  wealth  or  honors   that  man  can  bestow. 

In  this  latter  class  I  call  to  mind  a  messmate  named 
Rox.  He  was  a  short,  square-built  youth,  with  a  full, 
dark  eye,  lighting  up  a  frank,  handsome  face,  beneath  a 
broad,  white  Grecian  forehead,  and  chestnut  hair.  He 
was  strong,  too,  as  he  was  handsome,  with  limbs  like  a 
Titan ;  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  could  hold  a  thirty- 
two  pound  shot,  at  arms  length,  in  each  hand. 

Besides  the  sea  officers  who  lived  in  these  cramped 
berths  of  the  Juniata,  was  a  schoolmaster,  calling  him- 
self Brown,  who  was  our  abomination.  We  nicknamed 
him  Griddle  Brown,  from  his  resemblance  to  a  pale 
buckwheat  cake.  He  wandered  slightly  out  of  the  line 
of  his  legitimate  duty,  and  through  a  mistaken  notion 
of  his  conscience,  or  some  such  nonsense,  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  tattling  of  our  misdemeanors  to  the  captain ; 
so  we  made  war  upon  him,  and  after  being  driven  nearly 
to  the  verge  of  distraction,  he  was  finally  forced  to  leave 
the  corvette,  and  devoted  his  leisure  to  the  scientific  ex- 
plorations of  the  River  Amazon. 

To  balance  this  annoying  person,  we  had  a  dear  good 


100  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

old  soul  of  a  clerk,  named  Belfalr.  He  crooked  his 
elbow  once  too  often,  however,  and  like  many  a  better 
man,  the  dark  waters  cover  him.  He  was  our  favorite, 
soothed  our  temporary  griefs,  interceded  for  us  in  scrapes, 
made  up  our  little  quarrels,  and  was  our  adviser  and 
friend  at  all  times.  He  was  a  man  of  education,  and 
had  seen  service ;  but  his  unfortunate  propensity  for  the 
bottle  had  at  last  brought  him  to  the  lower  deck  of  a 
man-of-war,  whence  he  was  rescued  for  the  time  by 
Captain  Percy,  with  whom  he  had  sailed  a  score  of 
years  before.  When  not  too  far  gone  in  his  cups,  our 
old  friend  would  sit  and  sing  to  us  the  most  soul-touch- 
ing ditties  that  ever  sailor  listened  to. 

You  must  forgive  this  tedious  digression,  ladies,  said 
the  Lieutenant,  with  a  sad  smile  for  the  past,  as  he 
bowed  imploringly  to  his  fair  audience,  for  I  find  that 
garrulity,  one  of  the  infirmities  of  age,  is  creeping  up 
to  me  with  a  wet  lug. 

I  have  already  told  you  that  upon  my  advent  to  the 
mate's  quarters,  there  was  the  accustomed  gathering  to 
welcome  Saturday  night,  and  the  glasses  were  paraded 
on  the  board.  My  friend.  Jack  Gracieux,  to  whom  I 
was  indebted  for  a  very  cordial  reception,  had  the  chair 
—  in  a  convivial  sense  I  mean,  for  there  was  nothing 
but  camp  stools  in  the  berth,  if  indeed  there  was  a  con- 
trivance for  sitting  upon,  with  a  back  to  it,  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  ship. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Jack,  as  he  rose  with  his  usual 


TALES    FOR    THE    m'arInES.  101 

air  and  charming  grace  of  manner  — ''  gentlemen,  it  may 
not  have  escaped  the  recollection  of  a  number  of  you, 
and  others  have  perhaps  been  informed  by  impartial  ob- 
servers, that  some  time  during  the  past  week  the  good 
ship  in  which  we  sail  came  within  an  ace  of  being 
wrecked  on  inhospitable  rocks  in  the  Bight  of  Benin ; 
and,  out  of  gratitude  for  our  deliverance,  we  have  been 
presented  by  our  estimable  young  shipmate  there,  over  the 
way  "  —  pointing  with  an  easy  wave  of  his  hand  towards 
me  —  "  with  a  five-gallon  keg  of  old  Madeira,  which  I 
believe  was  originally  intended  for  his  grandmother,  I 
think  you  said  —  no  !  —  grandfather,  gentlemen,  to 
whom  I  would  beg,  should  a  favorable  opportunity 
present  itself  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  to  propose  a 
very  good  health." 

Mr.  Gracieux,  having  got  rid  of  these  remarks  in  an 
off-hand  way,  turned  to  the  steward,  (a  mottled,  dis- 
colored-faced  mulatto,  who  at  a  later  day  made  a  lazzia 
of  all  the  old  family  watches  in  the  mess,  together  with 
Mr.  Gracieux's  gold  sleeve  buttons,  and  escaped  at 
Buenos  Ayres,)  and  observed  in  an  impressive  tone, 
"Thomas  Small,  immediately  produce  the  materials." 

To  my  horror  and  surprise,  the  afore-mentioned  little 
barrel  of  old  Madeira  was  rolled  upon  the  mess  table, 
which  I  at  once  recognized  as  one  I  had  especially  in- 
trusted to  the  master's  mate  of  the  spirit  room  for  safe 
keeping  during  the  remainder  of  the  cruise,  that  office 
9* 


lOJ^  1ALE3    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

being  at  the  time  filled  by  the  worthy  gentleman  who 
had  just  concluded  his  address. 

In  addition  to  the  wine,  there  were  other  creature 
comforts  produced,  such  as  a  large  cube  of  salt  beef,  as 
hard  as  agate,  with  a  tray  of  biscuits,  or  midshipmen's 
nuts,  beside  it. 

Lord  love  ye,  Fred  !  suddenly  ejaculated  the  Lieu- 
tenant, if  you  should  happen,  in  these  days,  to  men- 
tion the  unknown  words  of  grog,  salt  junk,  or  hard 
tack  in  a  reefer's  mess,  the  chances  are  five  to  one  that 
they'd  kick  you  out  of  the  berth  first,  and  then  have  you 
out  edgewise  in  the  morning.  Why,  it's  a  mortal  affront 
to  even  allude  to  any  thing  more  bracing  or  substantial 
than  Burgundy  or  sugar  wafers.  For  their  nerves  are  too 
delicate  by  far  to  enjoy  the  coarse  grub  we  used  to  es- 
teem such  a  treat. 

On  the  present  occasion,  as  I  was  about  to  tell  you, 
there  was,  as  you  may  have  ere  this  remarked,  a  more 
sumptuous  display  than  ordinary  ;  and  when  all  the 
"  materials "  were  produced,  the  presiding  officer  de- 
sired, with  permission  of  the  company,  to  send  for  his 
tall  and  amiable  acquaintance,  Mr.  Ash,  the  carpenter, 
and  an  implement  to  bore  a  hole  in  the  wine  barrel,  as 
there  was  not,  strange  to  say,  so  useful  an  apparatus  as 
a  corkscrew  in  the  furniture  of  the  mess.  "  And," 
added  Mr.  Gracieux,  with  his  wonted  blandness,  to  his 
thirsty  and  impatient  audience,  "  it  is  my  private  opinion 


f 


TALES   FOR   THE    MARINES.  103 

that  the  invention  of  corkscrews  has  proved  of  infinitely 
more  serious  injury  to  the  human  race  than  even  gun- 
powder ;  for,  although  the  process  of  extermination  is 
more  refined,  tedious,  and  expensive,  yet  in  the  end  it  is 
equally  certain  in  its  results.  By  the  by,"  continued 
the  speaker,  as  an  idea  of  considerable  magnitude  seemed 
to  occur  to  him,  "  I  am  only  surprised  that  some  val- 
iant naval  hero  of  perhaps  a  hundred  bottles,  who 
may  have  performed  admirable  service  in  foreign  ports 
and  other  precious  liquids,  where  a  careful  use  of  those 
instruments  is  required  in  removing  obstructions  from 
the  mouths  of  narrow-necked  channels  —  I  am  only 
shocked,"  he  repeated,  '*  that  some  commodore  of  wis- 
dom and  experience  in  this  interesting  pursuit  has  not 
ere  this  collected  a  'musee  of  corkscrew  artillerie,'  and 
prepared  a  brief  memoir  of  the  form  and  execution  of 
those  engines,  since  the  gradual  introduction  of  glass  in 
place  of  wine  skins,  from  the  mediaeval  ages  to  the  pres- 
ent day." 

At  this  juncture,  Mr.  Ash,  the  carpenter,  appeared 
through  the  sliding  doors  of  the  steerage,  and  with 
an  auger  of  respectable  dimensions,  soon  effected  an 
orifice  in  the  wine  breaker.  Being  requested  to  name 
his  tipple,  he  promptly  replied,  "  Hollands,"  which 
fluid  being  procured,  he  threw  it  down  his  throat  like  a 
capsule  of  castor  oil,  without  touching  that  passage, 
closed  his  lips  tight  together,  fearful  lest  the  aroma  might 
escape,  and  then  vanished. 


104  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

"  Gentlemen,"  again  proposed  the  chairman,  "  before 
we  turn  our  attention  seriously  to  the  business  on  the 
table  before  us,  would  it  not  be  as  well  to  send  a  cartel 
to  our  sympathizing  friend  Lieutenant  John  Hazy,  to 
ask  him  to  join  us  upon  this  festivity  ?  " 

"  0,  agreed  —  only  be  quick  !  "  shouted  all  in  a  vol- 
ley ;  and  a  deputation  having  been  ceremoniously  de- 
spatched to  the  gun  room,  there  presently  arrived  a 
handsome,  sailor-built  fellow,  on  the  lee  side  of  forty, 
with  so  much  fun  in  his  twinkling  black  eyes  that  it  was 
positively  exhilarating  to  behold  him. 

Hazy  was  only  a  passenger  on  board  the  Juniata,  going 
out  to  join  a  frigate  in  the  Brazils  ;  but  as  he  was  by 
long  odds  the  most  amusing  character  in  the  corvette, 
and  his  time  all  his  own,  he  was  on  the  whole  a  great 
comfort  to  us.  Hazy  was  not  merely  a  gentleman,  but 
he  professed  to  be  a  scholar,  a  poet,  and  witlial  a  pas- 
sionate admirer  of  the  fair  sex. 

We  all  struggled  to  rise  when  he  entered  the  berth ; 
but  as  he  assured  us  it  would  break  his  heart  should  we 
incommode  ourselves  by  so  doing,  we  resumed  our 
places. 

"  Jack,"  said  Gracieux,  as  he  gave  him  a  hearty  slap 
of  pure  friendship  on  the  back.  Now  I  must  observe, 
here  parenthesized  the  Lieutenant,  that  although  our 
friend  Hazy  was  the  most  genial  soul  in  existence  to 
those  he  loved,  yet  few  others  could  take  liberties  with 
him ;  for  he  declared  with  Falstaff  that   he  was  "  Jack 


TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES.  105 

with  his  familiars,  John  with  his  brothers  and  sisters,  but 
Sir  John  with  all  Europe." 

"  Jack,"  inquired  the  chairman,  ''  what  will  you  be- 
gin with  ?  —  the  old  south-side  there,  presented  to  us  by 
that  interesting  youth  on  the  quadrant  case,"  — here  he 
frowned  demoniacally  at  me,  thinking,  perhaps,  that  I 
might  expose  the  larceny  of  the  little  barrel,  —  "or  a 
throw  of  spirits  ?  " 

"  My  brave  companion,"  replied  the  officer  addressed, 
"  though  the  sagacious  Publius  Syr  us  very  justly  re- 
marks that  'wine  has  drowned  more  than  the  sea,'  yet 
if  it  be  not,  according  to  the  discreet  and  temperate 
Horace,  '  a  poet's  beverage  vile  and  cheap,'  as  I  have 
not  tasted  the  south-side  juice  of  the  grape  since  the 
memorable  dinner  at  Madeira,  when  I  proposed  to  the 
young  lady,  and  requested  leave  to  begin  a  series  of 
visits  to  her  on  the  following  day,  I  will  e'en  join  you 
in  a  bowl ;  but  first,  if  you  will  allow  me,  I'll  have  a 
compact  rum  toddy  to  take  away  the  taste  of  the  fruit 
and  cigar  I  incautiously  indulged  in  after  dinner  to- 
day." 

"  Certainly,"  acquisesced  Mr.  Gracieux.  "  Steward, 
mix  this  gentleman  a  tod." 

"  And  I  say,"  crowded  in  our  guest,  "  don't  grate 
your  thumb  nail  into  it  by  mistake  for  the  nutmeg  ;  for, 
though  I'm  convinced  its  all  prejudice,  still  I  prefer  the 
spice  from  the  Philippine  Isles.  And  wait  a  week,"  he 
added  ;  "  steward,  don't  put   too   much  water  with  the 


106  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

rum  ;  for,  though  water  may  be  very  conducive  to  navi- 
gation under  the  keel,  it  is  at  the  same  time  very  inju- 
rious, I  maintain,  above  the  keelson.  —  Ah,  that  will  do  ; 
all  right,"  said  he,  as  the  mixture  was  presented  to  him, 
while  he  gave  vent  to  a  peculiar  whistle,  from  the  very 
depths  of  his  windpipe,  to  convey  to  us  the  extreme 
satisfaction  he  experienced  in  absorbing  his  drink. 

The  work  of  the  evening  was  now  fairly  under  way  ; 
the  little  breaker  of  wine  rolled  from  side  to  side  until  he 
actually  began  to  gurgle  with  depletion. 

"  This  is  a  tolerably  good  vintage,  gentlemen,"  ob- 
served Slade,  as  he  held  a  full  tumbler  in  his  hand  ; 
*'  very  fine  flavor  indeed  ;  could  shoot  quite  close  to  the 
line  with  enough  of  this  beverage  in  one's  system ; 
smacks  a  twang,  though,  of  the  wood,  like  all  the  rest 
of  us  who  live  so  much  down  among  these  huge  masses 
of  timber.  However,  it  aids  digestion,  which  is  all  we 
need  here  ;  for  I  contend  that,  to  live  upon  the  ocean, 
one  should  have  the  gizzard  of  an  ostrich  and  the  stom- 
ach of  a  dromedary.  As  for  nerves,  those  luxuries  could 
be  dispensed  with  altogether." 

"  Blasphemy  —  arrant  nautical  sacrilege,"  interposed 
the  chairman.  "  I  cannot  in  my  official  capacity  listea 
to  such  indecorous  observations.  For  my  part,  I  abso- 
lutely adore  every  thing  salt  and  blue,  from  a  herring  to 
the  azure  orbs  of  woman." 

"  Except,"  gravely  put  in  Jack  Hazy,  "  when  you 
chance  to  have  a  grand  passion  for  some  unconscious  fair 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  107 

one,  while  you  are  away  on  the  unchanging  deep,  your 
feelings  smothered,  and  the  sweet  sensibilities  of  your 
susceptible  nature  agonized  by  the  cold,  unfeeling  sneers 
of  your  boisterous  companions." 

"  Any  aromatic  vinegar  left  in  the  castors,  steward,  or 
mustard?"  suggested  some  one;  *^  for  here  is  a  gentle- 
man under  contract  to  faint." 

"  Why,  Hazy,"  chirped  Bonny  Bailey,  "  I  thought 
you  w^ere  a  moment  ago  congratulating  yourself  on  a 
matrimonial  escape  you  effected  at  Maderia  the  other 
day." 

"  O,  no,  my  trusty  mates  ;  you  mistook  my  meaning 
entirely.  The  risk  I  ran  was  with  the  brother  ;  and 
since  you  seem  so  interested,  I  will  explain  how  the  del- 
icate affair  happened. 

"  I  was  dining  at  the  house  of  one  of  those  wine-sell- 
ing princes  of  the  grape,  and  owing  to  some  derange- 
ment of  my  pocket  chronometer,  I  had  the  misfortune 
to  arrive  a  few  seconds  after  the  company  were  seated  at 
table,  but  found  a  place  reserved  for  me  beside  one  of 
the  most  charming  young  witches  it  has  ever  been  my  sad 
fate  to  meet  with.  She  was  gay,  conversable  and  spi- 
rituel/e.  She  positively  idolized  the  blue  jackets  ;  she 
thought  them  so  frank,  so  generous  ;  but  alas  !  so  hard 
hearted.  She  had  lived  on  the  sea  shore,  somewhere 
about  Cork  ;  gazed  on  the  waves  by  the  month  together ; 
I  trembled  when  it  blew,  and  wept,  I  think  she  said,  when 
it  calmed.     Then,  too,  she  had  such  tender,  confiding 


108  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

looks  out  of  her  eyes,  and  smiled  so  sweetly,  that,  in 
short,  gentlemen,  towards  the  close  of  the  dinner,  when 
some  of  the  pure  nectar  from  the  mother  vats  had  been 
produced,  I  began  to  believe  that  I  was  getting  very  far 
gone  in  love  ;  and  that,  being  now  of  age,  how  delight- 
ful it  would  be  to  have  those  soft,  dimpled  fingers  to 
smooth  my  pillow,  and  strew  my  desolate  "  —  "  Dissolute, 
you  mean,"  hinted  Rox  —  "  path  with  the  thornless  roses, 
which,  I  am  told,  bloom  in  the  little  heaven  of  married 
life.  I  turned  the  matter  rapidly  over  in  my  mind 
while  the  dessert  was  coming  on.  I  felt  that  this  was 
my  only  chance,  for  there  was  a  ball  in  the  evening,  and 
the  ship  was  to  sail  the  next  day.  A  more  excellent 
opportunity  might  never  present  itself.  I  had  twinges 
at  the  same  time,  for  I  knew  that  in  the  event  of  my 
changing  my  estate,  I  should  of  necessity  have  to  for- 
swear the  fascinating  society  of  all  my  intimates,  your- 
selves, gentlemen,  among  the  number." 

*'  What  shocking  ingratitude  !  "  exclaimed  the  mess, 
in  one  simultaneous  shriek. 

"  Not  so,  my  friends  ;  but  I  felt  that  you  could  not, 
rough  sailors,  though  honest,  perhaps,  as  you  are,  appre- 
ciate the  shrinking  timidity  of  a  tender  flower,  like  the 
one  I  was  about  to  protect.  I  say,  I  thought  all  these 
things  over  as  maturely  as  I  could  amid  the  confusion 
of  handing  fruit,  and  some  few  innocent  familiarities 
with  the  tinta,  and  finally  concluded  that,  notwith- 
standing the  young  person  had,  as  she  ingenuously  as- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  109 

surecl  me,  neither  lands  nor  dower,  yet  reflecting  that 
the  pious  Augustine  tells  us,  '  Humble  wedlock  is  better 
than  proud  virginity,'  and  in  spite  of  the  opinion  of 
the  immortal  Dr.  Slop,  that  *  virginity  alone  peoples 
paradise,'  I  at  once  threw  up  my  ticket  in  that  lottery, 
and  resolved  to  take  my  chance  for  a  prize  on  earth. 

*'  Give  me  a  sip,  Mr.  Gracieux,  that  I  may  have 
strength  to  unbosom  myself  further,"  gasped  Jack  Hazy, 
as  he  loosened  his  cravat  and  unbuttoned  his  shirt,  to 
relieve  his  feelings  in  the  stifling  atmosphere  which  sur- 
rounded us. 

"  Well,  shipmates,  the  time  was  getting  rather  short ; 
and,  by  the  way,  I  must  mention,  that  through  the  in- 
terstices of  a  great  epergne,  big  as  a  palm  tree,  loaded 
with  grapes,  confectionery,  and  wax  lights,  I  had  ob- 
served a  gentleman,  apparently  far  gone  in  a  decline,  but, 
nevertheless,  of  a  most  resolute  physiognomy,  who  some- 
what annoyed  me  by  the  entire  disregard  he  paid  to  his 
food  and  di'ink,  and  the  manifest  interest  he  took  in  the 
lovely  girl  beside  me.  I  began  to  feel  the  pangs  of 
jealousy  to  an  uncomfortable  extent,  and  should  have 
decided  to  ask  his  intentions,  had  not  my  partner,  dear 
little  soul,  taken  occasion  to  inform  me  that  he  was  her 
brother,  who  had  formerly  ii^ured  his  health  by  hard 
service  in  several  campaigns  in  the  Low  Countries,  under 
the  distinguished  German  general.  Count  Catzenjammer, 
of  the  Pocket  Pistol  Chopineers,  or  some  such  foreign 
10 


110  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

legion,  but  was   now  unattached  to   a  regiment  of  tlie 
British  army. 

"  The  epergne,  luckily,  answered  the  purpose  of  a 
screen,  and  any  of  you  profane  fellows  may  take  your 
oath  that  under  the  cover  of  a  damask  napkin,  or  the 
table  cloth,  —  I  was  so  extremely  agitated  I  don't  now 
remember  which,  —  I  seized  a  little  fluttering  hand,  and 
with  my  mouth  full  of  grapes  and  ladyfingers,  I 
managed  to  sputter  out  my  devotion  and  love  —  how 
the  pent-up  feelings  of  my  bosom  had  overleaped  by 
their  resistless  force  the  barricades  of  years,  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing.  In  short,  I  popped  in  regular  form,  and 
as  the  little  soft  hand  returned  the  pressure  of  mine,  and 
the  humid  eyes  were  swimming  in  liquid  light,  I  knew 
that  my  happiness  in  life  was  sealed.  In  my  confusion 
I  capsized  a  wine  glass  of  port  all  over  my  adored  one's 
dress,  as  I  tried  to  hobnob  pleasantly  with  the  consump- 
tive brother,  late  of  the  Chopineers,  opposite,  who  was 
at  that  moment  quite  unconscious  of  the  happy  family 
arrangements  about  to  exist  between  us.  However,  it 
only  ruined  a  rich  silk,  and  that  was  a  mere  tissue  of 
moonshine  compared  to  the  solid  rays  of  married  bliss 
we  were  about  to  enjoy ;  for  I  Avas  only  three  months' 
pay  in  arrears  to  the  purser  on  my  ^  dead  horse,'  besides 
a  few  outstanding  claims  at  home,  which  I  made  a  men- 
tal vow  to  liquidate  as  soon  as  the  honeymoon  was 
ended. 

"  Give  me   more  of  the  contents  of  that  breaker;  it 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  Ill 

strongly  reminds  me  of  the  brief  though  delicious  mo- 
ments I  am  relating  ;  and  let  me  hurry  on  to  the  singular 
catastrophe." 

He  drew  a  long  sigh  as  he  imbibed  the  stimulus,  and 
with  another  of  his  peculiar  whistles,  declared  himself 
"  tip  top,"  and  continued. 

"  I  think  we  were  a  good  while  longer  at  table,  but  of 
course  I  had  no  eyes  or  ears  for  any  thing  that  was  go- 
ing on.  About  the  last  circumstance  I  recall  was  asking 
my  fluttering  little  dove  if  she  would  be  my  partner  for 
the  first  quadrille  at  the  ball.  '  No  ;  she  never  danced, 
and  never  went  to  balls,'  she  murmured,  rather  sadly  ; 
'and  they  always  carry  me  away  so  soon  as  dinner 
is  over  !  '  '  "What  brutes  ! '  I  ejaculated  ;  '  but  never 
fear  ;  my  arms  shall  be  your  protection,  and  mine  shall 
be  the  pleasing  privilege  of  exhibiting  to  you  all 
that  is  worthy  of  admiration.'  '  O,'  she  fondly  whis- 
pered, '  you  are  too  kind.  Then  how  bright  will  be 
my  fate !  ' 

"  At  this  epoch  the  entire  company  moved  their  chairs 
from  the  table,  as  a  signal  for  rising  ;  and  if  my  senses 
did  not  deceive  me,  I  beheld  a  robust,  middle-aged  wo- 
man approach  my  promised  one,  and  grasping  her  like 
a  bundle  of  old  clothes,  lift  her  up  bodily,  and  bear  her 
from  my  sight. 

"  Petrifaction,  my  friends,  can  give  you  but  a  faint 
idea  of  my  rigidity,  when  I  discovered  at  a  glance  that 
she  had  no  legs  !     How  I  got  through  that  aw^ful  night 


112  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

I  leave  you  to  surmise  ;  but  early  the  next  morning,  as 
I  was  trying  to  cool  with  wet  plaintain  leaves  the  little 
bald  place  on  the  top  of  my  head,  w^hich  was  caused 
originally  by  sleeping  in  too  short  a  co6, 1  was  startled  by 
the  apparition  of  the  brother,  Captain  Bitter,  of  the 
114th  Regiment  of  Fut,  as  he  called  it,  who  invited  me 
to  step  out  with  him  on  the  balcony  of  the  hotel  at  a 
'  conv«nient '  distance  —  he  an  invalid,  too,  and  the  damp 
morning  air  being  proverbially  injurious  ! 

"  Heaven  only  knows  how  I  got  out  of  his  clutches, 
or  how  many  apologies  I  made,  written  and  verbal ;  suf- 
fice it  to  say  that  on  account  of  that  young  person's  ab- 
sence of  pins,  my  heart  is  blighted." 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  affecting  recital,  Jack  Gra- 
cieux  desired  the  clerk  to  give  us  a  song.  The  old  fel- 
low's face  was  slightly  flushed  by  his  potations  ;  but  his 
voice  was  as  sweet  as  ever.  He  gave  us  the  "  Battle  of 
the  Nile,"  with  such  exquisite  pathos  and  feeling,  that 
even  the  most  riotous  held  their  peace,  and  the  struggles 
of  the  little  breaker  itself  were  for  a  while  suspended. 

O  Dibdin  !  burst  forth  the  Lieutenant,  in  a  fit  of 
enthusiasm  —  0  Dibdin  !  you  who  had  the  power  to 
soothe  those  drooping  hearts  which  were  aching  to 
the  core,  as  they  mourned  the  bravest  sons  of  Albi- 
on fiilling  victorious  on  the  blood-stained  decks  of  her 
gallant  ships !  You,  O  Dibdin !  Homer  of  the  sea ! 
who,  when  the  fight  was  done,  and  the  red  flames 
quenched,   and  the    thunder  of  battle  silenced,  lent  a 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  113 

charm  and  pride  to  the  deeds  of  the  daring  tars  that 
will  ever  cause  their  sons  to  cherish  and  emulate  the 
glorious  actions  of  those  who  have  gone  before  them ! 
Brave  Dibdin  —  rhymer  for  the  sailor!  " 

When  the  good  old  Belfair  had  ended  his  plaintive 
strain,  the  wine  again  flowed,  and  while  a  musical  mate 
with  the  hiccups  pealed  forth  Gay's  beautiful  ballad,  — 

•'  'Twas  when  the  seas  were  roaring 
With  hollow  blasts  of  wind, 
A  damsel  lay  deploring, 
All  on  a  rock  reclined,"  — 

there  came  a  sharp  rap  at  the  steerage  doors,  and  the 
master  at  arms,  with  his  horn  lantern,  observed  that  it 
was  four  bells,  and  that  the  ten  o'clock  lights  must  be 
dowsed. 

"  Whence  comest  thou  on  this  blasted  heath  ?  "  fierce- 
ly exclaimed  Mr.  Hazy,  as  he  threw  himself  into  an  at- 
titude. 

"  From  the  berth  deck,  sir,"  replied  the  matter-of- 
fact  master  at  arms,  while  Mr.  Gracieux  placed  a  brim- 
ming tumbler,  compounded  from  the  ullages  of  the  va- 
rious vintages  left  on  the  table,  to  the  official's  lips. 

The  time,  however,  had  arrived  for  breaking  up  ;  the 
little  barrel  was  in  a  state  of  utter  emptiness  ;  our  guest, 
Jack  Hazy,  bowed  to  us  very  politely,  returned  thanks  in 
a  neat  speech  for  the  good  c^eer,  and  requesting  me  indi- 
vidually to  remember  him  to  my  aunt,  or  any  other 
10* 


114  TALES    FOE,    THE    MARINES. 

member  of  my  family,  when  I  should  choose  to  write, 
he  cautiously  felt  his  way  along  the  bulkheads,  and 
retired  within  the  gun  room. 

I  do  not  recall  an  incident  worthy  of  your  attention 
for  about  forty  days  after  the  loss  of  my  small  cask  of 
wine,  until  we  made  Brazil.  "We  had,  it  is  true,  the 
usual  daily  divisional  exercises  at  the  great  guns,  and 
with  the  small  arms ;  then  general  quarters  each  week, 
and  on  Sundays  inspection  and  muster,  with  the  articles 
of  war  by  way  of  benediction.  The  paint  work  was 
regularly  scrubbed,  too,  and  the  decks  rasped  with  sand, 
with  great  pertinacity ;  and  I  remember  that  towards 
the  last  of  the  passage,  we  lived  so  long  in  puddles  of 
muddy  water  that  we  nearly  became  webfooted. 

The  fact  is,  that,  no  matter  how  big  or  how  little  a 
vessel  may  be,  from  a  three  decker  to  a  pitiful  gun  brig, 
first  lieutenants,  as  a  distinct  genus,  believe,  owing  to 
some  mental  aberration,  that  the  eyes  of  the  whole 
world  are  upon  them ;  and,  upon  going  into  port,  in 
case  there  should  be  seen  such  a  monstrosity  as  a  rope 
yarn  towing  overboard,  or  a  topsail  sheet  within  half  an 
inch  of  being  close  home,  or  the  lower  deck  wanting  in 
whitewash,  or  a  belaying  pin  not  polished  like  a  candle- 
stick, why,  hanging  or  suicide  must  of  necessity  be  his 
portion.  But,  notwithstanding  all  this  minute  regard 
for  non-essentials,  it  is  not  of  very  rare  occurrence  to 
meet  with  a  fussy,  priggish  officer,  who  will  slam  away 
a  score  or  more  of  tompions  from  his  battery  at  his  first 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAPvIXES.  115 

salute,  and  then,  mayhap,  run  his  ship  on  a  mud  bank, 
while  trying  to  perform  some  surprising  act  of  seaman- 
ship in  a  crowded  roadstead,  to  the  dismay  and  ridicule 
of  the  entire  harbor. 

Moreover,  im  those  my  early  days  on  shipboard,  I 
formed  the  opinion,  w^hich  I  have  not  yet  seen  reason  to 
change,  that  half  a  dozen  stout,  active  w^asherwomen 
could,  by  contract,  keep  a  man-of-war's  decks  whiter, 
and  the  vessel  cleaner,  with  a  little  soap  and  hot  water, 
than  all  the  hosts  of  Jack  tars  who  ever  performed  that 
delicate  service  with  the  scrubbing  brush ;  always  pro- 
vided, however,  that  those  females  be  left  entirely  to 
their  own  devices,  and  not  meddled  with  by  any  of  the 
trouser  folks  on  board,  from  the  captain  all  the  way 
down  to  the  cook. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  sea  field  days  to  which  I  have 
alluded,  when  all  the  marine  troops  were  out,  fully 
equipped,  in  heavy  drenching  order,  with  buckets, 
swabs,  and  holystones,  going  through  their  exciting 
evolutions  of  pumping,  soaping,  sanding,  scrubbing, 
holystoning,  bucketing,  and  swabbing,  in  a  deluge  of 
these  elements,  when  '^  Land  ho ! "  came  in  a  chant 
from  the  mast  head  —  "Cape  Frio;"  and  the  troops, 
with  their  arms,  were  dismissed  for  the  time,  while  the 
breeze  hurried  us  on  around  the  bold,  projecting  head- 
lands, and  towards  night  we  slackened  our  speed,  mid- 
way between  the  cape  and  the  mouth  of  Kio  Janeiro. 

In  approaching  this  remarkable  land,  (which  has  been 


116  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

tossed  by  some  extraordinary  freak  of  nature  into  such 
grand  and  striking  outline,)  on  the  track  by  which  we 
came,  along  under  the  shade  of  the  bold  coast,  from 
Cape .  Frio,  one  is  not  so  deeply  impressed  with  the 
extraordinary  formation  of  the  mountains,  because  a 
part  of  the  picture  is  hidden  from  view.  But  once 
sail  up  to  it  in  broad  daylight  from  the  southward, 
where  the  narrow  barrels  of  the  slim  "  Organ  "  Moun- 
tains seem  to  be  drawing  their  breath  from  the  highest 
heavens,  far  inland,  —  where  next  the  lordly  features 
of  the  stupendous  Corcovado,  the  adjacent  heights,  and 
the  hills  which  sweep  in  grand  succession  around,  arrest 
the  gaze,  —  while  the  smooth  summit  of  the  "Sugar 
Loaf "  in  the  centre,  and  the  queer-shaped  islands 
which  lie  nearer  close  up  the  foreground  of  the  view, 
—  and,  save  in  some  few  and  wonderfully-shaped 
groups  of  Polynesia,  you  will  find  nothing  on  the 
water  part  of  the  globe  so  grand  and  imposing  as  Rio. 
As  we  approached  the  mouth  of  the  bay  it  fell  calm, 
and  the  next  morning  we  were  in  the  same  position, 
and  could  not  move  an  inch.  We  seemed  to  have  got 
into  a  see-saw  of  bad  luck ;  for  to  seaward,  vessels  were 
heeling  over  with  full  sails,  and  in  shore  of  us,  also, 
the  small  craft  were  moving  on  briskly.  We  all  impre- 
cated our  fate  with  considerable  earnestness ;  but  it 
only  wasted  our  breath,  and  that  was  a  commodity 
which,  in  a  calm  under  the  tropic,  we  could  ill  afford 
to  lose. 


TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES.  117 

Two  more  days  came  and  went,  and  still  the  barks 
far  and  near  sailed  about  according  to  their  fancies ;  but 
the  Juniata  appeared  to  be  held  fast  in  a  smooth  little 
bowl  of  water,  with  no  immediate  prospect  of  getting 
out. 

On  the  last  evening  I  had  the  first  watch,  with  my 
friend  Gracieux  ;  but  when  midnight  came,  the  watch 
relieved,  and  our  turn  to  go  below,  instead  of  seeking 
my  hot  hammock  on  the  steaming  lower  deck,  I  pulled 
a  small  coil  of  rope  from  under  the  fife  rack  on  the  top- 
gallant forecastle,  and,  placing  it  for  a  pillow  on  the 
little  square  grating  which  closed  the  w^ndsail  hatch  to 
the  deck  below,  I  made  a  field  bed  of  Kit  Dolphin's 
pea  jacket,  and,  amid  the  heavy  breathing  and  snoring 
of  the  sleeping  watch  around  the  silent  decks,  I  per- 
haps snored  a  fine  tenor  to  their  base. 

I  lay  snoozing  here  very  delightfully  beneath  the 
twinkling  stars,  and  the  easy,  graceful  waving  of  the 
brailed  sails  and  cordage,  as  they  gently  swung  to  and 
fro  over  my  head,  by  the  almost  imperceptible  motion 
of  the  hull,  when  I  was  startled  by  the  deep,  musical 
sound  of  the  ship's  bell  striking  one  —  the  first  half 
hour  past  midnight. 

"  Bother  !  "  I  muttered,  as  the  liquid  clang  of  the 
metal  rang  in  my  ears,  "what  a  bore  to  have  that  great 
brass  instrument  hung  directly  under  one's  head,  to 
prevent  one  sleeping  !  " 

I   felt   too   drowsy,   however,   to   make   much  of  an 


118  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 

effort,  and  had  rolled  over  to  doze  off  once  more,  when 
I  heard  a  hoarse  whisper,  which  seemed  to  emanate 
from  the  very  clapper  of  the  bell  itself,  and,  from  the 
few  words  I  caught,  claimed  my  utmost  attention.  I 
turned  my  eyes  down  between  the  little  square  spaces 
of  the  grating,  and  tried  to  detect  the  speaker;  but  all 
I  could  distinguish  was  the  forms  of  two  persons  in  dim 
outline,  standing  in  the  uncertain  gloom  of  the  deck 
below. 

"  Keep  quiet,"  was  the  first  connected  sentence  I 
caught,  "  until  that  quarter  master  gets  out  of  ear  shot." 
Then,  when  the  retreating  footsteps  of  the  man  who 
had  come  forward  to  strike  the  time  were  no  lonsrer 
heard,  the  same  speaker  continued,  though  not,  I 
thought,  in  a  very  amiable  mood,  "  Ay,  it's  pretty 
near  time  to  steer  clear,  matey,  from  this  Yankee  cor- 
vette. She's  done  us  a  good  turn  so  far,  barrin'  a  deep 
grudge  I  owe  that  old  sea  tyrant  of  a  skipper ;  and  a 
bloody  end  to  me  but  I'll  be  even  with  him,  and  wipe 
off  the  score  for  all  he's  done,  down  to  every  stripe  of 
those  infernal  cats." 

"  Hush,  my  hearty ;  all  in  good  time,"  broke  in  a 
voice  in  a  soothing  tone ;  and  then  asked,  "  What  plans 
have  you  now  for  another  billet,  in  case  we  bolt  ?  " 

"0,  never  fear;  I've  the  token  for  the  Rio  partners; 
and  if  the  news  hasn't  reached  them  about  that  last 
bungling  scrape,  they'll  help  us  to  as  good  a  lift  as  they 
did  before,  particularly  if  the  old  Veloz  has  run  her 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  119 

cargo  safe.  Besides,"  he  added,  "  my  old  lass.  Loo,  is 
living  out  near  the  little  falls  of  Tejuco,  for  better  than 
a  year ;  and  the  girl  will  stand  by  me,  as  she  did  by  the 
surgeon  of  the  convict  ship,  when  Mag  and  me  got  up 
the  mutiny,  and  killed  all  the  other  men  on  board. 
She's  as  game  as  steel,  and  even  wouldn't  let  me  put  an 
end  to  the  fellow !  She  can  do  what  she  likes  with  old 
Jose,  and  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  we'll  coax 
something  out  of  him,  or  stop  his  trade." 

"  Much  chance  of  getting  away  from  this  craft  ? " 
rejoined  the  second  speaker. 

"  You  a  sailor,  and  ask  a  question  like  that,  you  fool ! 
and  such  a  blockhead  as  not  to  know  that  there's  but 
two  walls  to  a  ship !  and  the  use  of  those  sprawly  hoofs 
and  flippers  that  the  devil  has  given  ye,  for  no  good 
use,  I'll  be  bound.  With  eyes  in  that  ugly  head,  and  a 
sharp  knife  in  your  fist,  of  a  dark  night,  what  more 
would  ye  have,  eh?  All  ye  have  to  steer  clear  of  is 
your  thirst  for  rum,  which  more  than  once,  ye  know, 
has  nigh  ruined  the  pair  of  us." 

"  Well,  well,  matey,  that's  my  natur' ;  don't  be  too 
hard  on  a  chap ;  you  have  failin's  of  your  own,  maybe, 

and  ye  may  remember "     Here  the  first   speaker 

broke  out  in  a  low,  fierce  whisper,  as  if  he  was  touched 
with  something  of  a  recollection  of  what  his  comrade 
was  about  to  give  tongue  to. 

"  Avast  that  jaw,  and  hear  what  I'm  about  to  say, 
and  mark  me  well.     We've  been  boys  together,  you'll 


V.iO  TALES    Foil   THE    MAlllJSES. 

mind,  and  sculled  in  tlie  same  boat,  as  mud  larks  and 
ship  thieves,  and  we've  done  many  a  bit  of  work,  by  and 
large,  in  the  long  run ;  but  if  we  club  together  again, 
I'll  have  no  more  of  your  drunken  sprees,  and  your 
reckless,  mutinous  spirit.  For  mind,  if  ye  ever  show 
another  sign  of  rebellion,  I'll  kill  you  like  I  did  the 
other  pal  of  ours,  when  he  dared  dispute  my  orders 
about  shooting  the  girl."  He  said  all  this  savagely,  and 
added,  "  Ned,  you  know,  saved  my  head,  and  neck  too, 
in  the  affair  with  the  Primrose." 

"Ay,"  rejoined  the  second  speaker,  and  I  perceived 
a  sudden  movement  of  his  body,  as  if  in  anger,  while 
his  harsh  tones,  low  as  they  were,  trembled  with  passion. 
"  Ay,  I  do  remember  it  well ;  and  though  you  did  the 
murder,  it  was  a  shameful  and  cowardly  act  to  kill  yer 
true  friend,  who  had  stood  by  ye  in  trouble.  And  now, 
let's  understand  one  another  :  as  you  say,  we've  both 
been  steeped  to  the  roots  of  the  hair  on  our  heads  in 
crime  ;  any  one  of  'em  would  give  us  a  whip  at  the  fore 
yard,  and  curse  the  odds  ;  but  in  all  the  leagues  we've 
rolled  over  the  salt  seas  together,  you've  befriended  me, 
and  I'm  not  the  man  to  forsake  ye.  Now,  since  the 
chaps  has  all  gone,  and  this  last  bad  run  of  luck,  you 
want  me  agin  ;  well,  I'm  willin'  on  certain  terms.  I 
know  you're  my  superior  in  larnin'  and  skill,  and  I 
freely  tell  ye,  that  so  long  as  ye  behave  fair  I'll  stand 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  come  what  may,  like  a  back  to  a 
blade.     At  the  same  time,  mind,  I  must  have  a  bit  of  a 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINE3.  121 

frolic  occasionally,  for  that's  all  the  pleasure  I  has,  when 
I  gets  a  little  chink  in  my  becket ;  and  ye  know,  too, 
that  I  don't  care  much  for  that  stuff,  for  a  dollar  goes 
with  me  as  fur  as  a  gold  ounce  does  with  you,  when  ye 
put  on  your  grand  airs,  and  shower  it  about  like  a  nabob. 
Howsoever,  hear  the  conditions  I  wants  to  make :  you 
must  bear  with  my  faults,  and  I'll  obey  you  like  a  sailor  ; 
but  should  ye  ever  try  the  same  game  again,  when  that 
helpless  little  chicken  was  in  the  way,  I'll  plant  my 
mark  upon  your  carcass,  even  should  ye  be  protected  by 
every  pirate  who  ever  trod  a  ship's  decks." 

After  this  burst  of  excitement,  the  pair  appeared  to 
stand  silently  regarding  each  other  for  more  than  a 
minute,  when  the  same  voice  which  had  last  spoken 
went  on. 

"  What  say  ye,  lad  ?  Am  I  to  call  ye  master,  and  are 
we  to  clasp  hands  upon  it  ?  or  will  ye  paddle  your  own 
canoe,  and  leave  me  on  board  this  smart  corvette  to 
battle  the  watch  with  the  Jonathans  ? " 

There  was  another  long  pause  ;  when,  in  reply  to 
this  proposition,  the  fellow  said,  (hissing  the  words  out 
slowly  and  deliberately  through  his  closed  teeth,)  — 

^^Ay,  I  do  want  ye.  I  know  ye  to  be  brave  and 
willing  when  the  rum's  not  aboard ;  but,  nevertheless, 
should  any  thing  turn  up  at  Eio,  which  I  feel  pretty 
sure  there  will,  I'll  take  ye  as  chief  mate.  Xow,  let  by- 
gones be  bygones.  What's  over  is  done  for  —  I  neither 
regret  nor  care.  Blast  the  past  and  the  future  in  a 
11 


12^  TALES    FOE    THE    MARINES. 

heap  —  I  go  for  the  present ;  but  my  principles  differs 
from  yourSj  and  I  shall  abide  by  them  ;  so  you  must 
take  heed,  and  when  we  stand  on  the  same  planks  where 
I  command,  if  you  show  your  teeth  I'll  put  an  end  to 
ye.  However,"  he  added,  '^  don't  let  us  split  for  a  trifle  ; 
the  time  may  not  come  when  we'll  be  likely  to  fall  out, 
and  here's  my  fist  upon  the  bargain ;  for  good  men  is 
scarce  in  these  times." 

"  Well,  agreed,  my  hearty !  and  there's  the  old- 
fashioned  grip,"  replied  his  companion;  and  the  two, 
apparently,  clasped  hands  upon  their  pious  compact. 

I  had  been  reflecting  for  some  time  how  I  could  best 
identify  the  brace  of  worthies  whose  conversation  I  had 
overheard  ;  but  there  was  not  a  ray  of  light  shed  beneath 
the  forecastle,  so  that  I  could  distinguish  their  features ; 
and  I  felt  aware  that  the  least  movement,  on  my  part, 
from  within  two  feet  of  their  ears,  would  instantly  defeat 
my  object.  Long  before  I  could  get  down  the  ladder, 
and  to  their  position,  they  could  secrete  themselves 
among  the  clusters  of  men  sleeping  or  lounging  about 
the  decks. 

However,  this  was  the  only  chance  I  had  of  detecting 
them,  and  just  as  I  heard  the  voice  of  the  orderly  at  the 
cabin  doors  cry  out,  in  the  calm  night,  '^  Two  bells !  " 
1  knew  there  was  no  time  to  lose,  as  the  quarter  master 
would  soon  come  forward  to  strike  the  hour  again.  So, 
as  cautiously  as  possible,  without  making  noise  enough 
to  disturb  a  mouse,  I  raised  my  head  from  the  grating. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  123 

But,  in  gradually  backing  out,  to  gain  my  feet,  I  clianced 
to  stick  the  toe  of  my  shoe  into  the  open  mouth  of  a 
snoring  forecastleman,  who  closed  his  jaws  with  such  a 
sharp  nip,  that  it  made  me  utter  a  suppressed  maledic- 
tion. My  toe  being  at  length  released,  I  made  a  spring, 
still  mindful  of  my  purpose,  and  grasping  one  of  the 
numerous  pieces  of  running  rigging  about  the  foremast, 
I  slid  rapidly  from  the  break  of  the  topgallant  forecastle 
to  the  deck,  and  then  making  a  dive  into  the  dark  space, 
I  rushed  to  the  spot  where  I  hoped  to  find  the  men. 
As  I  reached  it,  and  putting  forth  my  arms,  seized  a 
man,  exclaiming,  the  while,  "  Who  are  you  ?  "  I  heard 
the  voice  of  Holbertson,  one  of  the  best  men  in  the 
ship,  reply,  '^  What's  that  to  you  ?  Out  of  the  v/ay,  and 
let  me  strike  two  bells." 

"  0  !  Holbertson,"  I  said,  ''  is  that  you  ?  Did  you  find 
any  body  here  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  he  answered,  upon  recognizing  my  voice  ; 
'*  but  I  think  some  one  dropped  down  the  scuttle,  there, 
on  to  the  berth  deck,  just  as  I  got  forward." 

I  said  no  more,  convinced  that  the  persons  I  was  in 
pursuit  of  had  taken  the  alarm  and  escaped.  So,  as 
sleep  in  those  days  was  at  a  premium  with  a  younker 
like  me,  I  betook  myself  again  to  the  pea  jacket  couch 
and  rope  pillow,  and  slept  until  four  o'clock,  when  old 
Kit  shook  me  awake,  and  told  me  to  go  below  before 
the  decks  were  wet. 

I  related  to  my  trusty  friend  the  conversation  I  had 


124  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

overheard ;  but  since  it  had  no  particular  bearing  upon 
the  Juniata,  save  in  a  contemplated  desertion,  —  which 
was  not  of  rare  occurrence  with  sailors,  —  and  as  we  had 
no  suspicions  of  any  individuals  in  particular.  Kit  advised 
me  to  ^^luf  de  matter  be,  and  say  nothin'  to  nobody 
upon  de  subjec'."  This  advice  I  promised  to  follow, 
and  went  below  to  my  hammock. 

"With  the  sun  there  sprang  up  a  wind  off  the  land, 
and  old  Percy  resolved  to  head  the  ship  right  out  to  sea, 
in  order  to  anticipate  the  sea  breeze  a  little,  and  may 
be,  escape  from  the  belt  of  calm  water  which  had  be- 
devilled us. 

There  were  scores  of  vessels,  of  different  nations, 
heading  every  way  around  the  compass,  either  recently 
out  or  bound  into  Kio  ;  but  there  was  a  heavy  brig  of 
war,  which  seemed  to  have  neither  object,  for  she  had 
been  dodging  about,  close  to  the  coast,  near  where  we 
had  been  becalmed,  only  under  topsails,  jib,  and  spanker, 
as  if  she  had  no  wish  to  spread  so  large  a  clew  as  to 
make  her  conspicuous. 

On  the  morning  I  speak  of,  liowever,  she  too  had 
taken  the  notion  of  leaving  the  narrow  bight  where  she 
had  been  secluded,  and  with  the  gentle  land  wind  came 
quietly  across  our  bows  to  leeward,  where,  hoisting  Eng- 
lish colors  and  pennant,  she  threw  her  foretopsail  to  the 
mast.  As  we  came  close  side  by  side,  an  officer  with 
a  pair  of  gleaming  swabs  on  his  shoulders  raised  his 
hat  to  old  Percy,  who  was  standing  with  some  of  his 


TALE3    FOR    THE    ^IAEI^'E3.  125 

subordinates  on  the  poop,  and  in  a  fine,  manly  voice 
said,  "  This  is  his  Britannic  majesty's  brig  Snake." 

The  compliment  "svas  at  once  returned  by  our  com- 
mander with,  "  The  United  States  corvette  Juniata,  forty- 
eight  days  from  St.  Thomas,  on  the  coast  of  Africa." 

"  Will  you  tell  me,  sir,  if  you  have  seen  or  heard  any 
thing  of  a  brace  of  slavers,  on  your  passage  to  Brazil  ? " 

"  What  sort  of  vessels  were  they  ?  " 

"  One  a  large  brig,  carrying  eight  carronades,  and  a 
long  gun  amidships,  with  a  crew  of  about  fifty  men." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  assisted  in  getting  hold  of  a  pirate  an- 
swering to  that  description,  at  the  Canaries,"  rejoined 
old  Percy. 

We  could  perceive  a  look  of  chagrin  pass  over  the 
countenance  of  the  handsome  officer,  as  he  made  a 
gesture  of  disappointment  to  the  gentlemen  around  him  ; 
but  resuming  the  conversation,  — 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,  sir,  though  I  envy  you  the 
capture,  for  she  was  bound  here,  and  I  was  in  hopes  I 
should  have  had  her  in  my  clutches  before  she  could 
land  her  cargo." 

Captain  Percy  here  related  the  general  facts  relative 
to  her  capture  and  character. 

"  I  have  no  doubt,  captain,  rejoined  the  officer,  from 
the  information  we  have,  that  she  is  the  same  vessel ;  but 
did  you  hear  any  thing  of  her  consort,  a  very  clumsy- 
looking  hermaphrodite  brig,  rough  about  the  upper 
works  and  spars,  though  a  Baltimore  clipper  under 
11* 


1.26  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

water,  has  the  legs  of  a  hound,  and  carries,  we  hear,  six, 
hundred  slaves  ? " 

"  I  regret  to  say  that  I  have  not  fallen  in  with  such  a 
vessel,"  said  old  Jack ;  but  the  quarter  master,  Plolbert- 
son,  who  stood  by,  with  the  spyglass  in  his  hand, 
touched  his  hat,  and  observed,  "  I  saw  a  craft  like  that, 
sir,  day  before  yesterday,  just  inside  Cape  Frio  there. 
She  was  working  close  under  the  land,  very  smartly 
too,  sir ;  painted  lead  color  above  the  water,  and  looked 
quite  rusty  aloft.  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  she  was  in 
sight  now  from  the  topsail  yard." 

"Ah,"  exclaimed  Percy,  with  a  start,  as  he  com- 
municated the  report  to  the  captain  of  the  brig  of  war  ; 
and  then,  hailing  the  mast  head,  he  bade  the  look-out 
see  if  the  vessel  was  yet  in  sight. 

'*  Nothing  to  seaward,  sir,  of  that  rig,  though  here- 
away, under  that  bluff  point  of  rocks,  there's  a  topsail 
schooner  or  polacre,  I  can't  tell  which." 

They  were  all  alive,  too,  aloft  on  board  the  brig  ;  and 
as  the  sea  breeze  was  indicated  by  a  few  dark  patches  to 
the  southward,  the  officer  courteously  thanked  the  cap- 
tain for  the  information,  and  sheered  off  to  have  a 
nearer  peep  at  the  suspicious  stranger. 

I  imagine  that  Mad  Jack  wouldn't  have  disliked  to 
have  taken  a  shy  himself  at  a  Guinea  trader ;  but  it  was 
a  rather  ticklish  business  for  us,  in  those  days,  to  meddle 
with  vessels  having  papers  of  a  nation  with  whom  we 
had  no  treaty  stipulations  regarding  the  slave  trade  ;  and 


TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES.  127 

rather  than  go  out  of  his  course,  and  perhaps  burn  his 
fingers,  he  squared  away  for  Rio. 

The  breeze,  to  make  up  for  its  idleness  during  the 
past  few  days,  came  with  a  cap  full,  and  the  officer  of 
the  watch  took  in  the  upper  sails  to  save  ^olus  the 
trouble  of  doing  it  for  him.  On  we  flew  towards  Re- 
donda,  while  a  fleet  of  vessels,  far  and  near,  were  all 
crowding  in  the  same  direction,  to  the  great  commercial 
port  beyond. 

We  had  forgotten  our  man-of-war  friend  of  the  morn- 
ing, until,  just  as  we  began  to  draw  in  between  the  Straits 
of  Redonda  and  the  opposite  islands,  we, saw  a  large, 
lumbering  craft,  apparently,  with  dingy,  patched  sails, 
but  nevertheless  carrying  a  taut  rag,  and  spirling  to 
windward  like  a  witch.  As  she  came  out  from  the  in- 
shore passage  formed  by  the  "Daddy"  and  "Mammy" 
rocks,  we  heard  the  boom  of  a  gun ;  and  at  the  instant  a 
twenty-four  pound  shot  struck  her  above  the  hounds  of 
the  foremast,  at  the  doublings  of  the  masts,  and  whiz- 
zing on  half  spent,  dropped  into  the  water  close  upon 
our  beam. 

"  Bueno  ! "  exclaimed  old  Jack  ;  "  the  fellow  who  fired 
that  gun  had  an  eye  like  a  hawk,  even  if  he  did  over- 
shoot the  mark  a  little.  Hillo !  by  the  Lord,  look  how 
he  has  taken  the  wind  out  of  her  sails !  " 

Sure  enough  ;  not  only  the  wind  was  knocked  out  of 
her,  but  the  wood  too  ;  for  in  a  moment  the  topmast 
gave  one  drunken  nod,  and,  with  the  topsail  and  upper 


128  TALES   FOU   TKE   MAHlIs^ES. 

canvas,  toppled  over,  pulling  the  main  topmast  with  it, 
and  the  whole  maze  of  masts,  sails,  and  gear  fell  a  heap 
of  wreck  upon  the  deck. 

The  vessel  came  up  in  the  wind,  got  in  irons,  and  lay 
like  a  log  upon  the  water,  while  presently  the  clean, 
sharp  black  bows  and  even  tier  of  fangs  of  the  Snake, 
with  as  much  canvas  as  she  could  well  stagger  under, 
the  spray  flying  high  up  the  weather  leeches  of  her 
courses,  came  with  a  rush  from  beyond  the  ledge  of  the 
islands,  and  had  barely  time  to  clew  up  topgallant  sails 
before  she  had  nearly  run  over  her  crippled  prize. 

We  gave  them  a  cheer  as  we  dashed  by,  and,  con- 
tinuing on,  ran  like  a^  race  horse  past  the  smooth  base  of 
the  Sugar  Loaf,  and  not  giving  time  to  the  old  sojer 
at  Santa  Cruz  to  get  a  reply  to  his  hail,  in  a  few  min- 
utes the  cables  were  rattling  out  with  a  flying  moor  in 
the  magnificent  bay  of  Rio  Janeiro. 

The  narrator  paused,  and,  perceiving  the  attention  of 
his  fair  listeners  beginning  to  flag,  he  improvised  a  slight 
headache  by  way  of  excusing  himself  on  the  occasion, 
and  then  broke  off"  his  narrative  for  the  evening. 


CHAPTER    Y. 

The  Lieutenant  took  his  place  by  tlie  fire.  The 
ladies  desired  to  be  amused.  Fred  informed  them  the 
scene  was  now  in  Brazil,  and  his  uncle  resumed  :  — 

The  mornins:  after  our  arrival  in  Rio  we  saw  the  lead- 
colored  hermaphrodite  brig  lying  under  the  guns  of  an 
English  frigate,  with  her  decks  swarming  with  poor 
blacks,  enjoying  God's  greatest  blessings,  which  man 
had  denied  them  —  a  few  mouthfuls  of  pure  air  and 
fresh  water. 

It  may  be  as  well  to  mention  here  that  the  commander 
of  the  frigate,  who  was  not  only  a  humane  officer,  but  a 
philanthropist,  took  measures,  during  the  absence  of  the 
admiral,  for  removing  the  poor  wretches  to  some  con- 
venient point  of  the  bay,  so  as  to  lessen  the  sufferings 
which  they  were  enduring  between  the  close  slave  decks 
of  their  floating  prison  and  hell. 

For  my  own  part,  boy  as  I  was,  I  thought  no  more 
about  the  business,  being  far  too  deeply  absorbed  in 
sucking  oranges,  bananas,  and  grapes,  and  indulging  in 
other  delicacies  brought  alongside  by  our  fat  bumboat 
man,  Joe  Moskeet,  from  Cobras  Island.  Then  I  never 
tired  of  wandering  through  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city, 

(129) 


130  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

peeping  into  the  diamond  marts  and  gay  shops,  or  sip- 
ping chocolate  and  whiffing  paper  cigars  at  the  showy 
cafe  in  the  palace  square.  Every  thing  had  interest  for 
me,  from  beholding  the  splendid  panorama  of  the  hay 
to  passing  the  time,  from  daylight  in  the  morning  until 
breakfast,  in  the  jolly  boat  at  the  palace  stairs,  waiting 
for  the  ship's  provisions,  and  preventing  the  boat's  crew 
from  lacing  their  coffee  with  too  much  gin,  which  they 
called  "  devil's  swill." 

Aside  from  these  my  active  duties,  the  good  old  cap- 
tain would  take  me  with  him  occasionally  to  the  pic- 
turesque suburbs,  Gloria,  Boto  Fogo,  and  Praya  Fla- 
mingo, where,  at  dinner  or  in  the  evenings  at  the  dwell- 
ings of  the  foreign  residents,  I  passed  many  agreeable 
hours. 

It  was  then  I  learned  to  speak  a  little  Portuguese, 
and  to  think  it  no  sin  to  press  the  soft  fingers  of  the  ju- 
venile donas,  practising  first  with  those  in  pantalettes, 
but  gradually  gaining  confidence,  and  working  my  way 
up  to  those  of  a  more  appreciative  age. 

"  Ah,  I  suspect  there  is  a  love  affair  coming,"  said  a 
sentimental  damsel  among  the  Lieutenant's  auditors. 
There  would  have  been,  I  assure  you,  said  he,  with  an 
air  of  gallantry,  had  you  been  old  enough  in  those  days 
to  receive  my  devotion.  But  you  shall  hear  all  in  good 
time  ;  we  must  not  anticipate. 

One  night,  as  we  were  returning  from  one  of  the  de- 
lightful little  dancing  reunions  near  the  snowy  beach  of 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  131 

Boto  Fogo,  still  dreaming  that  I  was  pressing  the  soft 
hand  of  a  little  s^yeetheart,  instead  of  the  tiller  ropes,  I 
steered  the  gig  rather  wild,  when  old  Percy  gave  me  a 
sharp  pinch  on  the  lobe  of  my  ear,  his  usual  endearing 
way  of  expressing  his  feelings,  which  I  would  willingly 
have  dispensed  with,  saying,  ^^  You  little  lubber,  you'll 
be  on  Villegagnon  reef,  if  you  don't  mind  your  eye ; 
head  more  for  the  French  admiral's  light ;  the  Juniata 
is  in  wake  of  her." 

I  brightened  up  a  bit,  and  as  we  caught  sight  of  the 
dark  mass  of  the  corvette  resting  so  quietly  on  the 
calm,  unbroken  surface  of  the  harbor,  while  the  entire 
bay  seemed  paved  with  sparkling  brilliants,  reflected  from 
the  glittering  stars  above,  we  saw  a  red  flash  from  the 
ship,  and  then  another^  quickly  followed  by  the  reports 
of  muskets. 

We  pulled  rapidly  alongside,  and  on  reaching  the 
deck,  the  first  lieutenant  reported  that  two  men  had 
swum  away,  the  sentries  had  fired,  and  the  dinguy 
been  out  in  chase,  but  could  find  nothing.  The  follow- 
ing morning,  when  the  crew  were  mustered,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  two  men  who  had  been  shipped  at  St. 
Thomas  were  missing. 

'^Glad  to  be  rid  of  the  rascals,"  said  the  captain, 
when  the  afiair  was  made  known  to  him.  "  I  sincerely 
trust  that  they  have  taken  an  ounce  or  two  of  lead  with 
them.  But  keep  quiet  for  a  day  or  two,  and  when  they 
emerge  from  their  hiding-places,  we'll  send  for  them." 


133  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

At  the  period  I  speak  of,  an  organized  police  was  a 
thing  unheard  of  In  Ivio.  It  was  during  the  ill  govern- 
ment which  succeeded  the  anarchy  and  confusion  attend- 
ant upon  the  abdication  of  Don  Pedro,  and  subsequent 
to  the  massacre  and  troubles  of  the  foreign  legions. 

The  fate  of  the  English  legion  was  sad  indeed.  It 
was  led  by  as  gallant  a  band  of  officers,  many  of  whom 
had  served  in  the  British  army,  as  ever  shed  blood  in  a 
good  cause.  They  fought,  too,  and  conquered :  but 
what  was  their  reward  ?  They  were  in  great  part  bar- 
barously treated,  by  the  very  nation  for  whom  they  came 
to  wage  war,  and  many  lingered  out  miserable  lives  in 
Brazil,  or  returned  home  to  die  from  sheer  want.  One 
out  of  a  number  of  the  leaders  of  this  expedition. 
Colonel  McGregor,  as  brave  a  Scot  as  ever  drew  sword 
since  the  days  of  Bruce,  and  who  had  distinguished 
himself  in  the  Peninsula,  after  sacrificing  the  little  for- 
tune he  had,  to  maintain  the  Brazilian  imperial  forces 
in  the  southern  provinces,  and  taking  Montevideo,  was 
at  a  later  day  "whistled  down  the  wind"  without  a' 
crutch  to  support  his  riddled  frame.  This  is  not  a  more 
gloomy  picture  of  events  than  have  happened  in  Peru, 
Chili,  and  the  sister  states,  all  over  the  entire  South 
American  continent ;  and  so  it  was  with  the  English 
legion  in  Spain,  I  believe,  during  the  Carlos  and  Chris- 
tina war.  I  was  there  when  Fitzgerald  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  legion,  and  though  he  and  his  companions 
received   decorations    and   orders    without   number   for 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  133 

their  gallant  services,  yet  the  orders  were  not  upon  the 
treasury,  or,  if  they  were,  they  were  not  honored. 

Whether  we,  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  shall  ever 
have  greater  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves,  when  we 
take  up  arms  for  those  heroic  Cuban  patriots  who  stood 
so  calmly  by  the  other  day,  and  beheld  their  fillibustero 
friends  shot  down  by  scores,  without  even  offering  a 
paper  cigar  to  console  their  last  moments,  is  yet  to  be 
discovered. 

The  truth  is,  however,  that  these  supine  Creoles, 
together  with  their  pompous  progenitors,  have  an  in- 
superable horror  and  natural  antipathy  to  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race ;  and  though  on  grand  occasions  they  may 
permit  us  to  avenge  their  quarrels,  or  achieve  a  tran- 
sitory independence  for  them,  in  the  end  they  are  very 
profuse  in  their  thanks,  but  chary  of  gratitude  ;  and 
"  habiendo  pregonado  vino,  venden  vinagre/^  —  having 
recommended  wine,  they  treat  us  to  lemon  juice,  —  and 
with  a  cold  "  Buenas  noches/'  they  bid  us  go  about  our 
'  business. 

In  these  respects,  however,  they  are  not  unlike  the 
modern  Greeks,  models  as  they  are  for  patriotism.  I 
remember  hearing  my  friend  Jack  Gracieux  say  that, 
during  their  revolution  in  '27,  a  ship  load  of  cloth- 
ing having  been  sent  them  from  the  United  States, 
together  with  some  good  wholesome  prog,  to  be  landed 
at  one  of  the  islands  in  their  possession,  a  large  party 
of  the  most  virtuous  and  enthusiastic  of  these  model 
13 


13-4  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

Greeks  not  only  declined  to  assist  in  discharging  the 
cargo  without  pay,  but  the  jolly  republicans  broke  open 
the  magazines,  where  the  stores  were  placed  after  land- 
ing, and  helped  themselves,  without  waiting  for  the 
philo-something  societies  to  distribute  them. 

To  return,  however,  to  affairs  at  E-io  Janeiro.  At 
this  period,  assassins  stalked  boldly  at  midday,  stabbed 
their  men,  swallowed  their  coffee,  sucked  their  cigars, 
and  said  their  prayers,  in  regular  order ;  wdiile  at  n^ht 
there  was  a  body  of  less  reputable  miscreants,  the  refuse 
of  all  nations,  who  prowled  about  the  worst  purlieus  of 
the  city,  even  to  the  palace  square,  and  committed  every 
species  of  horrid  atrocity.  This  band  of  metropolitan 
brigands  were  styled  the  "fish-market  gang,"  and  they 
constituted  themselves  the  liege  protectors  of  deserters 
from  the  ships  of  war  or  merchantmen  lying  in  the 
port,  and  were  always  prepared,  at  the  shortest  notice,  to 
furnish  the  government,  or  owners  of  a  slave  vessel, 
with  sufficient  force  to  land  a  cargo  in  the  secluded 
inlets  and  nooks  near  the  mouth  of  the  bay.         -  * 

The  authorities  of  Kio,  actuated  either  by  interest, 
fear,  or  indolence,  took  no  decided  steps  to  do  away  with 
the  nuisance ;  and  so  long  as  the  battalion  of  rascals 
refrained  from  riots  with  the  soldiers,  or  killing  slaves 
for  pastime,  they  escaped  with  total  impunity.  Occa- 
sionally, however,  a  few  of  the  gang  would  violate 
these  tacit  pledges,  and  upon  getting  drunk,  if  they 
were  so  indiscreet  as  to  lie  down  in  the  square  or  mar- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  135 

kcts,  the  exasperated  troops  would  pounce  upon  tliese 
detached  squads,  while  the  main  body  of  their  friends 
were  afar.  After  cutting  and  hacking  them  senseless, 
they  would  drag  them  away  to  the  chains  of  Cobras 
Island,  or  else  consign  them  to  the  prison  hulk,  moored 
in  the  upper  end  of  the  harbor,  where  they  were  made 
to  pick  oakum,  and  beaten  immercifully  with  narrow, 
flat  boards,  having  holes  in  them,  by  way  of  exercise  and 
recreation  to  the  drummers  and  boatswains  on  board. 

About  a  week  after  the  escape  of  Lowther  and  Mur- 
den,  —  by  which  names,  being  those  they  bore  on  the 
purser's  books,  I  shall  continue  to  designate  them,  — 
it  being  my  day  for  duty,  I  was  ordered  to  go  on  shore 
with  Tom  Slade  to  search  for  the  deserters.  Each  had 
the  selection  of  two  men.  Slade  chose  his  favorites 
from  the  crew,  and  I  of  course,  for  one,  selected  Kit 
Dolphin,  and  a  marine  named  Morris,  to  accompany  me. 
He  was  an  American  by  birth,  a  man  of  education,  and 
had  evidently  seen  better  days.  Some  said  a  wife  had 
J)roved  unfaithful  to  him,  a  desperate  and  fatal  duel  had 
followed,  the  gaming  table  and  the  bottle  had  done  the 
rest.  Observing  his  studious,  quiet  deportment,  I  had 
occasionally  procured  him  valuable  books  from  the  ship's 
library,  —  a  service  which  he  seemed  to  appreciate.  He 
was  of  an  age  past  forty,  I  should  judge,  and  his  nose 
had  been  almost  cut  in  twain  by  the  blow  of  a  bowie 
knife  or  bullet ;  but  yet  he  had  fine  eyes,  and  an  agreea- 
ble, though  decided  expression  of  visage.     I  knew  noth- 


136  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

ing  of  Mm,  however,  save  what  I  had  seen  in  the 
Juniata,  and  a  little  incident  which  occurred  on  board  the 
receiving  hulk,  while  we  were  fitting  out.  He  was  on 
post  one  day  when  a  bullying  topman  roughly  attempted 
to  transgress  his  orders.  In  a  moment,  Morris  struck  him 
down,  with  a  deep  bayonet  wound  through  the  shoulder. 
The  man  was  carried  in  a  critical  plight  to  the  hospital, 
and  an  investigation  of  the  affair  was  held.  "When  the 
facts  were  elicited,  and  the  marine  was  called  upon  for 
his  defence,  he  merely  replied  in  a  firm,  though  respect- 
ful manner,  that  "  when  the  government  put  arms  in 
his  hands,  they  were  for  use ;  and  had  his  brother  at- 
tempted to  disobey  his  orders,  he  would  have  killed  him 
as  a  matter  of  duty."  He  was  acquitted  without  a  dis- 
sentient voice. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  search  for  the  deserters,  Slade 
with  his  party  went  on  shore  early  in  the  afternoon,  and, 
as  was  correctly  surmised  by  his  friends,  long  before 
dark,  he  was  knocking  the  balls  about  at  the  billiard 
table  of  the  Hotel  du  Nord,  and,  in  a  very  groggy  state 
of  health,  was  striving  to  induce  a  respectable  indi- 
vidual, whom  he  had  met,  to  take  a  "  pop  across  the 
table."  He  had  given  directions,  too,  for  decent  forage, 
rations,  and  drink,  to  be  served  out  to  his  attendants,  so 
that,  long  before  the  time  for  action  came,  they  were 
uproariously  oblivious  to  all.  matters  of  a  strictly  prac- 
tical nature. 

I  left  the  corvette  soon  after  dark,  dressed  in  a  com- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  137 

mon  check  shirt,  light  trousers,  and  guernsey  cap,  in 
company  with  Kit  and  Morris,  who  were  also  attired  in 
a  similar  species  of  mufti.  On  getting  on  shore,  Dol- 
phin left  me  and  the  marine,  to  wander  about  a  little,  to 
see  if  he  could  pick  up  any  information  relative  to 
the  men  we  were  in  quest  of,  while  we  sauntered 
around  the  square,  or  in  front  of  the  cathedral,  and 
beheld  a  few  fireworks  let  off,  which  were  intended  to 
announce  the  birth-day  of  a  saint  or  martyr,  or  some 
other  personage  of  distinction. 

In  an  hour  Kit  returned,  and  said  that  he  had  fallen 
in  with  a  lot  of  liberty  men  from  an  English  frigate, 
who  were  all  going  to  the  establishment  of  a  notorious 
crimp,  a  Hamburg  Jew,  named  Surf,  where,  perhaps, 
we  might  find  Lowther  and  Murden. 

As  it  was  yet  rather  early,  we  left  the  square,  and 
wandered  through  the  dark,  filthy  lanes,  which  were 
reeking  in  mud  and  masses  of  rotting  vegetable  matter, 
where  the  low  blinds  and  jnlousies  were  closed  and 
barred,  and  nothing  heard,  save,  here  and  there,  the  roar 
of  some  inebriated  soldier,  or  lost  mariner,  as  he  trolled 
forth  his  maudlin  ditty. 

At  last  we  reached  the  quarter  of  the  town  where 
the  crimping  rendezvous  of  the  Jew  was  situated.  It 
filled  considerable  space,  but  the  main  building,  which 
was  tall  and  of  three  stories,  stood  on  a  corner,  while 
irregular  clusters  of  tenements  branched  away  in  several 
directions,  back  to  a  lane  in  the  rear,  with  grog  shops 
12* 


138  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

at  eitlier  end.  We  made  as  good  a  reconnaissance  of  the 
premises  —  and  very  extensive  tliey  were  —  as  we  rea- 
sonably could  from  outside,  in  the  unpaved,  unliglited, 
gloomy,  noisome  lanes  and  alleys,  and  then,  having  sat- 
isfied our  curiosity,  we  entered  the  pulperias  one  after 
the  other,  by  the  different  entrances. 

Crowds  of  sailors  of  all  nations  were  in  these  grog 
shops,  boisterous,  quarrelsome,  and  tipsy.  On  one 
side  t)f  the  apartment  was  a  bar,  strongly  railed  in  by 
a  fine  iron  wirework  grille,  behind  which  there  was  a 
goodly  array  of  jugs,  cases  of  gin,  aguardiente,  and  a 
vile  compound,  called  Jcesash,  constantly  being  dispensed, 
in  heavy  glass  tumblers,  through  small  traps,  to  those 
who  called  for  the  liquor.  These  retreats  were  served 
by  several  disgusting  looking  tap  drawers,  who,  secure 
behind  their  wire  fortress,  could  refuse  to  furnish  the 
fiery  potations  to  those  vdthout  money,  and  risk  the 
solid  glass  missiles  which  were  not  unfrequently  hurled 
at  their  heads  by  thq  riotous  customers. 

By  wide  passages  leading  from  the  tap  rooms  were 
two  tolerably  large  halls,  redolent  with  the  fumes  of 
pipes  and  rum,  while  jigs  and  country  dances  were 
going  on  to  the  music  of  violins  and  guitars.  I  soon 
became  tired  with  these  scenes  of  low  revel  and  de- 
bauchery, and  the  coarse  vulgarity  of  language  and 
gesture  used  by  the  degraded  nymphs  who  were  min- 
gling with  their  rude  paramours  in  the  dance  ;  and  think- 
ing that  there  might  be  a  chance  of  finding  our  quarry 


TALES    FOE,   THE    MARINES.  139 

in  otlier  parts  of  the  building,  more  especially  as  the 
rooms  below  were  continually  filled  by  fresh  arrivals, 
who  were  coming  and  going  from  all  directions,  I 
intimated  my  intention  to  Kit  of  taking  a  little  voyage 
of  discovery,  and*  returning  presently,  to  let  him  know 
the  result. 

The  old  black,  at  first,  seemed  disinclined  to  trust  me 
out  of  his  sight,  since  I  had  already,  more  than  once, 
been  cufied  and  bufieted,  by  the  groggy  sailors,  and 
spun  round  quite  roughly  by  the  loosely  and  flamingly 
attired  figurantes  of  the  dance  halls.  On  these  occa- 
sions, however,  Morris  w^ould  be  quietly  moving  by  my 
side,  with  his  attention  apparently  fixed  upon  some  in- 
difierent  object ;  and  I  knew  that  he  would  not  see  harm 
done  to  me. 

As  for  old  Kit,  whenever  he  happened  to  observe 
these  disagreeable  familiarities,  he  would  roll  in  between 
us,  in  a  half-drunken,  affected  state  of  jollity,  giving 
the  aggressor  a  heavy  flip  from  his  stalwart  arm,  accom- 
panied by  a  jovial  laugh,  and  "  Hands  off  de  pickaninny, 
sar,"  or  "  Q^ui-dow  !  marm  !  don't  make  lub  to  a  baby, 
v/hen  dere  is  a  full-grown  young  gentleman,  like  dis 
little  nigger,  in  de  room,"  which  system  of  practice 
usually  acted  as  an  effectual  hint,  not  only  to  the  men, 
but  the  gentler  vessels,  to  desist  from  their  afibctionate 
endearments  to  me. 

Once,  w^hile  Christopher  was  making  a  polite  extem- 
poraneous speech  of  this  kind  to  one  of  these  damsels. 


140  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

in  some  outlandisli  and  unintelligible  lingo,  I  saw  a  tall, 
slim,  and  very  sharp  featured  woman,  with  a  thin  red 
hawk-bill  nose,  and  light  green  eyes,  and  a  sinister  up 
and  down  squint,  approach.  She  was  dressed  in  a 
gaudily  striped  muslin  skirt,  w*hich  she  held  up  by  the 
hem,  exposing  her  macaroni-like  legs  and  slipshod,  hose- 
less  feet.  The  bodice  of  her  dress  was  unlaced,  and 
was  merely  confined  to  one  shoulder  by  a  single  enor- 
mous skewer  of  a  pin,  like  the  romantic  Cherubina's 
robe,  when  she  went  stark  staring  mad  in  white  satin. 
From  the  florid  hue  of  her  high  cheek  bones,  and  the 
tip  of  her  beak,  I  surmised  that  the  color  had  been  laid 
on  with  a  brush  dipped  in  gin,  while  the  neutral  tints 
of  the  other  parts  of  the  visage  might  have  been  mixed 
from  the  various  liquid  paints  of  the  tap.  On  the 
whole,  I  concluded  that  to  whatever  school  she  had 
been  a  devotee,  water  colors  were  not  to  her  taste. 
She  was  evidently  a  person  of  exalted  consideration 
in  that  ball,  for  men  and  women  made  room  for  her 
as  she  came  scuffling  quickly  over  the  sanded  floor. 
But  she  came  upon  me  so  suddenly,  that  I  had  not 
time,  had  I  been  inclined,  to  step  out  of  her  path ; 
so,  with  a  ladylike  kick,  she  just  grazed  my  ear,  and 
sent  my  cap  flying  oflf  my  head  to  the  ceiling,  squeak- 
ing out  at  the  same  time,  in  a  shrill,  harsh  tone,  "  Out 
of  my  way,  you  brat." 

Notwithstanding  her   sex,  I  was   so  stung  with  the 
merriment  that  ensued  against  me,  in   consequence   of 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  141 

the  surprising  exploit  she  had  performed,  that  I  was 
on  the  point  of  convincing  the  bystanders,  according  to 
an  early  precept  I  had  learned  in  Yirgil,  that  "  not 
with  their  feet,  but  hands,  the  valiant  fight."  As  I 
rushed  forward  to  tear  her  flimsy  vestments  from  her 
scrawny  body,  the  huge  bulk  of  old  Kit  Dolphin  inter- 
posed, and  seizing  the  hag  by  both  hands,  and  shaking 
them  until  she  writhed  in  pain,  he  blurted  out,  with  a 
hearty  chuckle,  ^^  Sarvint,  marm ;  how  fur  hab  you 
ebber  made  a  bite  into  a  watermillion  wid  dem  sharp, 
narrer  jaws  ?  " 

This  address,  together  with  the  wrench  she  had  suf- 
fered in  her  long,  dirty  fingers,  and  the  laugh  which 
rose  from  the  sailors  around  at  the  allusion  to  her 
hatchet- shaped  face,  and  capacity  for  biting  into  a  water- 
melon, to  say  nothing  of  her  libations,  thi-ew  her  into  a 
furious  rage  on  the  spot. 

Losing  sight  of  me,  who  had  been  the  original  cause 
of  the  quarrel,  she  opened  a  hot  fire  upon  Christopher. 

'^  What !  "  she  screamed,  "  ye  domino-faced,  indigo- 
stained  nigger,  do  ye  dare  to  gibe  me  in  my  own  house  ? 
I'll  have  ye  in  the  Misericorde  afore  daylight." 

"  Ho  !  ho  !  yaw  !  "  roared  old  Kit.  "  "Wy,  my  pritty 
missis,  don't  go  to  mind  the  old  darkey ;  come,  fetch 
us  half  a  pint  of  fust-rate  schnaps." 

Whether  the  compliment  to  her  beauty  or  the  order 
for  the  gin  mollified  her  for  the  moment,  I  can't  say ; 
but  she  turned  sharp  round  on  her  heel,  and  whisked 


142  TALES    rOH    THE    MARINES. 

out  to  the  tap,  leaving  a  muttered  curse  about  some- 
body's throat  and  heart. 

I  afterwards  heard  that  this  woman  was  strongly  sus- 
pected of  having  been  one  of  the  convicts  who  had 
risen  on  board  a  transport  bound  to  Botany  Bay,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  two  of  the  crew  and  her  female 
myrmidons,  had  murdered  all  the  guard  and  officers, 
with  the  exception  of  the  surgeon.  They  then  man- 
aged to  navigate  the  ship  into  the  River  Plate,  where 
they  made  good  their  escape.  It  was  said  that  the 
British  government  had  taken  the  most  active  measures 
to  arrest  the  mutineers,  and  succeeded  in  bringing  great 
numbers  of  them  to  the  scaffold.  They  w^ere  scattered, 
however,  all  over  the  continent ;  and  whether  the 
proofs  were  not  sufficiently  strong  to  convict  the  woman 
who  took  the  name  of  Mag  Surf,  I  do  not  know ;  but 
she  had  thus  far  evaded  the  justice  that  was  supposed 
to  be  her  due. 

As,  however,  T  had  again  the  opportunity,  during 
the  evening,  of  becoming  more  intimately  acquainted 
with  this  interesting  lady,  I  will  not  detain  you  longer 
at  present  with  other  items  of  her  history. 

Before  the  schnaps  had  been  served  to  Kit,  I  again 
intimated  my  resolution  of  making  an  exploration  of 
the  crimping  house.  I  did  not  wish  to  return  to  the 
ship  empty  handed,  although  I  was  clearly  convinced 
that  notwithstanding  my  illimitable  regard  for  disci- 
pline and  the   slightest  whim  of  my  superior   officers. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  143 

yet  at  times  even  a  captain's  ideas  of  propriety  were 
inconsiderate^  when  lie  chose  to  send  a  mere  boy  after 
runaway  sailors,  amidst  the  lowest  haunts  of  vice  and 
infamy,  in  an  ill-regulated  city  like  Eio  Janeiro.  But 
I  determined  to  make  a  trial. 

With  a  final  whispered  caution  from  Kit  and  the 
marine,  to  keep  my  eyes  skinned  and  my  whistle  clear, 
I  slipped  out  of  the  dance  halls,  after  promising  to 
return  in  an  hour. 

I  mounted  the  first  stairway  I  came  to,  and  found 
myself  on  the  second  story,  in  a  long  suite  of  nar- 
row  dormitories,  lined  with    nests  of  field  beds,  w^ith 

here  and  there  a  drunken  sailor  stretched  half  lifeless 

« 

on  his  pallet,  while  his  maudlin  cries  or  unmeaning 
mutterings  were  only  interrupted  by  the  squealing  of  a 
regiment  of  rats  trooping  about  the  rooms  and  pas- 
sages. I  noticed  particularly  one  gray-haired  veteran, 
sedately  sitting  on  his  hams,  gnawing  away  at  a  sput- 
tering tallow  link  which  stood  in  an  iron  sconce  upon  a 
bracket  of  the  wall.  I  ascended  still  another  flight  of 
stairs,  and  came  to  a  succession  of  stifling  dens,  quite 
as  loathsome  and  offensive  as  the  last ;  and  being  now 
satisfied  with  my  expedition,  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
make  the  best  of  my  way  out  of  the  filthy  warren,  but 
by  some  other  means  of  egress  than  that  by  which  I 
had  entered,  and  then  seek  my  companions,  and  return 
on  board  the  corvette ;  for  the  night  was  growing  old, 
and  I  judged  the  time  to  be  near  t^^lve  o'clock. 


144  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

I  continued  on  along  a  dark  corridor,  expecting  at 
each  moment  to  meet  a  stairway,  turning  first  one  way 
and  then  another,  until  I  got  so  bewildered  that  I  could 
neither  find  the  passage  back  nor  yet  form  the  faintest 
conjecture  as  to  which  part  of  the  building  I  was  in. 
At  last,  however,  a  dim  ray  of  light  caught  my  eye, 
and  advancing  a  few  steps  farther,  I  came  to  an  open- 
ing in  the  angle  where  two  walls  joined,  and  passing 
through  a  broken,  jagged  aperture,  I  found  myself  in 
open  air,  on  a  broad  stone  coping  which  ran  around  one 
of  the  buildings. 

The  stars  were  shining  lustrously  above  my  head, 
winking  and  twinkling  to  one  another  in  the  calm,  blue 
vault,  while  the  crescent  moon,  looking  pale,  jaded,  and 
wan,  was  going  to  rest,  with  its  faint  yellow  light,  be- 
hind the  beetling  brow  of  the  broken  back  Corcovado. 
In  other  respects  the  view  lower  down  was  shut  out  in 
a  great  degree,  save  a  glimpse  I  caught,  many  a  league 
off,  of  the  tube-like  cones  of  the  Serra  dos  Orgoas,  just 
visible  throucfh  a  cleft  of  the  houses  and  walls  near  me. 
Below  my  feet,  all  was  as  black  as  ink ;  and  it  seemed 
like  a  great  square  well,  of  immense  depth,  formed  by 
the  closely-abutting  gables  of  the  surrounding  build- 
ings. After  peering  down  this  murky  chasm,  I  moved 
on  along  the  coping  until,  upon  turning  an  angle,  a 
light  from  a  skylight  in  the  roof  flashed  directly  in  my 
eyes,  and  at  the  same  time  I  heard  the  sound  of  voices 
rising  from  below.     In   approaching   nearer  I  stepped 


TALES    FOE,    THE    MAHINES.  145 

from  tlie  parapet  upon  what  seemed  a  square  and  large 
chimney,  covered  partly  with  tiles  on  the  top ;  but  such 
a  horrible  stench  greeted  me  that  I  was  glad  to  leave 
it,  and  continue  along  the  roof. 

Pausing  as  I  came  abreast  of  the  glass  scuttle,  I  dis- 
tinctly heard  a  few  sentences  from  a  man's  voice,  which 
I  thousjht  came  from  one  of  the  deserters  I  was  in 
search  of  s^ 

To  return,  however,  by  the  way  I  came  was  out  of 
the  question ;  for  I  had  already  been  at  fault  in  the 
main  building,  and  getting  back  to  it  was  no  easy  mat- 
ter. I  felt  assured  there  must  be  some  descent  in 
another  direction  from  the  place  where  I  was  standing, 
since  there  were  a  number  of  upright  poles  stuck 
about  the  coping,  and  a  few  lines  for  clothes  strung 
from  one  to  the  other. 

My  surmise  proved  correct ;  for  after  feeling  my 
tracks  cautiously  on  a  few  yards  farther,  I  came  to  a 
half-open  door,  leading  into  an  adjoining  tenement, 
and  softly  descending  a  narrow  flight  of  stone  steps,  I 
found  myself  in  a  passage  which  evidently  took  the 
direction  to  the  rear  of  the  crimping  house. 

I  was  on  the  point  of  continuing  along  this  outlet, 
when  I  again  heard  the  sound  of  the  voices  which 
attracted  me  above;  and  pausing,  to  make  quite  sure, 
my  curiosity  overcame  my  prudence,  and  I  carefully 
groped  my  way  to  the  end  of  the  passage,  where  a 
heavy  door  arrested  my  progress.  Crouching  down, 
13 


146  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

and  creeping  close  to  the  door,  I  obtained  a  full  view 
of  the  party  within  through  a  round  hole  from  which 
the  knob  of  the  lock  had  been  removed. 

The  room  was  of  considerable  size,  and  well  lighted  by 
a  lamp  stuck  in  a  tin  reflector  against  the  wall.  There 
were  a  few  prints  of  flaunting  young  women  bidding 
good-by  to  their  lovers,  who,  attired  in  intensely  blue 
jackets,  and  enormous  ribbons  streaming  from  their  tar- 
paulins, were  standing  on  unnaturally  yellow  beaches, 
with  ships  under  a  crowd  of  sail  in  the  offings.  There 
was  a  print,  also,  of  the  Virgin,  with  a  pipe  in  her  mouth, 
and  a  pair  of  mustachios  roughly  charcoaled  by  some 
sacrilegious  artist.  All  were  dangling  lop-sided  upon 
the  walls. 

The  ceiling  showed  the  rafters,  and  took  the  angle 
of  the  roof,  where,  too,  was  the  skylight  of  blue  ribbed 
bull's  eyes,  which  had  first  caught  my  attention.  A 
table  stood  rather  on  one  side  of  the  room,  with 
a  long  bench  at  one  end,  and  a  number  of  heavy 
stools  of  the  hard  wood  of  the  country  ranged  at  the 
other. 

There  were  four  persons  seated  at  this  board ;  one  a 
low,  scLuat-built,  repulsive-looking  object,  with  a  tawny 
skin,  a  glittering,  black,  beetle-shaped  eye,  and  a  wiry, 
ragged  fringe  of  hair  spread  over  his  upper  lip,  which 
did  not  serve  to  conceal  a  large  tusk  of  a  tooth,  and  the 
only  one  he  could  boast  of  in  the  whole  upper  frame 
of  his  mouth.     He  was  dressed  in  an  attempt  at  long 


TALES     FOR    THE    MARINES.  147 

togs,  striped  calico  coat  and  trousers,  and  on  his  coal- 
black,  bristly  head  he  Avore  a  narrow-rimmed,  glazed 
hat.  This  gentleman  was  afterwards  addressed  as 
Maltee  Joe. 

At  his  side  sat,  or  rather  stood,  when  I  first  caught  a 
glimpse  of  him,  a  man  who  rose  to  the  height  of  more 
than  six  feet.  His  head  bore  the  same  relative  propor- 
tion to  his  body  that  a  gooseberry  would  to  an  egg.  It 
was  very  small,  but  remarkably  formed  —  running  up, 
as  it  were,  to  a  point ;  quite  like,  as  Kit  afterwards 
compared  it,  to  a  "hominy  mortar."  On  this  apex  of 
a  head  was  a  thin  layer  of  sandy  hair,  which,  from  the 
attention  paid  to  it  by  the  proprietor,  seemed  to  be  a 
source  of  never-failing  care  and  comfort ;  for  he  rarely 
ceased  to  smooth,  moisten,  and  plaster  it  down  his  hol- 
low cheeks  and  behind  his  peaked  ears.  Eyebrows  he 
had  none ;  but  below  where  they  usually  are  placed  in 
his  species  there  shone  a  pair  of  light  bluish  eyes,  so 
cold,  hard,  and  cunning  in  their  expression,  that  they 
closely  resembled  the  orbs  of  a  shovel-nosed  shark. 
The  nose  was  short  and  snubby,  and  beneath  were  a 
pair  of  thin,  cat-like  lips,  parting  over  a  wide  mouth 
and  a  double  row  of  sharp  teeth.  The  throat  was 
nearly  the  span  of  his  head,  and  it  sloped  and  swelled 
away  to  the  rounded  shoulders,  where  the  arms  came 
into  the  picture  —  great,  long,  bony  joints,  tipped  with 
skeleton  flippers,  like  the  claws  and  feelers  of  a  lobster. 
His  back  spread  out  broad  and  flat  at  the  hips,  and  the 


148  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

lower  limbs  appeared  cast  in  a  similar  mould  witli  the 
arms.  He  might  have  existed  full  half  a  century,  for 
his  skin,  or  hide  more  properly,  was  of  the  hue  of  new- 
ly tanned  leather,  and  graven  in  a  million  of  wrinkles. 
Altogether  he  was  not  a  model  of  manly  beauty  that  a 
sculptor  would  have,  perhaps,  selected  to  carve,  but  still 
he  impressed  me  as  one  of  the  most  muscular  human 
structures  I  ever  beheld ;  which,  taken  in  connection 
with  the  wily,  but  fearless  sagacity  depicted  in  his  looks 
and  bearing,  made  me  believe,  without  a  moment's  hesi- 
tation, that  he  would  prove  a  very  cross-grained  bit  of 
flesh  to  cope  with. 

The  third  person  of  this  interesting  little  group  I  at 
once  recognized  as  Mr.  Tom  Murden,  late  of  the  Junia- 
ta. He  had  only  changed  his  man-of-war  rig  by  tear- 
ing off  the  white  collar  of  his  frock,  and  substituting  a 
skull  cap  for  his  regulation  hat.  His  eyes  were  blood- 
shot, and  his  general  appearance  indicated  a  long  and 
ardent  devotion  to  rum  since  he  had  so  unceremoniously 
left  us.  He  had  also  a  dirty  cotton  bandage  wound 
around  his  ear,  which,  with  the  other  alterations  in  his 
attire,  had  not  increased  his  personal  beauty. 

The  last  man  of  the  party  had  been  so  well  meta- 
morphosed that  it  was  a  long  while  before  I  could 
recognize  a  resemblance  to  Lowther.  The  sailor's 
habiliments  had  given  place  to  a  cambric  embroidered 
shirt,  white  kerseymere  trousers,  silk  stockings,  pumps, 
well-fitting  dark  frock  coat,  and  silk  kerchief  loosely  tied 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  149 

about  the  large,  full  throat.  The  face  was  shaded  by  a 
broad,  fine  Panama  hat,  and  when  he  looked  up  during 
the  conversation  with  his  companions,  I  saw  that  nearly 
all  of  his  huge  whiskers  had  been  shaved  off  to  the 
throat ;  and  by  the  glare  of  the  strong  light  from  the 
reflector,  I  observed  a  deep  red  seam  which  traversed 
his  cheek  from  the  ear  to  the  jaw  bone.  The  burning 
words  of  the  afflicted  woman  on  board  the  English  brig, 
the  Arabella,  came  upon  me  in  sickening  force,  for  I 
had  no  doubt  but  that  the  villain  was  before  me  who 
had  murdered  her  child. 

So  soon  as  I  recovered  my  faculties,  I  thought  of  im- 
mediately beating  a  retreat,  and  with  the  assistance  of 
my  friends  making  an  effort  to  capture  the  scoundrels  ;  but 
lingering  a  moment,  the  words  they  uttered  so  fascinat- 
ed me  that  I  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  remain- 
ing a  while  longer  ;  and  accordingly  I  stood  very  quietly 
an  attentive  witness  of  the  doings  and  conversation 
within. 

Lowther  was  smoking  a  cigar  with  great  satisfaction  and 
gravity ;  and,  though  he  and  the  huge  living  skeleton 
near  him  seemed  cool  as  a  dairy,  the  others  were  sufler- 
ing  by  the  extreme  heat  of  the  room. 

As  I  observed  before,  the  tall  man  was  standing  when 
I  first  remarked  him  ;  but  it  was  only  for  a  moment,  as  it 
appeared,  to  get,  if  possible,  a  full  view  of  his  hand- 
some person  in  a  small  fragment  of  looking  glass,  let 
into  a  piece  of  wood,  which  he  held  with  a  vain  smirk 
13* 


150  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

before  him.  He  was  speaking,  too  ;  and  as  he  resumed 
his  seat  and  replaced  his  mirror,  by  a  small  toggle,  to  a 
single  suspender  which  held  up  his  short,  striped  cotton 
trousers,  he  drawled  out,  with  a  singing,  nasal  twang, 
directing  his  conversation  to  the  Maltese,  — 

"  Yis,  merlatty ;  you  air  pritty  nigh  'bout  right :  I 
guess  we  air  a  tolerably  handsome  family,  and  hev  at- 
tenevated  feeturs.  Pop  was  a  Marblehead  man,  and  the 
old  woman  was  a  conk  from  ther  Beheymees,  where  Pop 
got  her  on  a  wrackin'  vyge  ;  and  its  ginerally  consid- 
ered 'long  our  shore  to  be  kinder  good  for  the  breed  to 
cross ;  it  sorter  makes  the  grizzil  hard  and  fibry  ;  jist 
try." 

Hereupon  he  reached  out  his  thumb  and  fore  finger 
to  the  Maltese,  who  did  not  appear  at  the  beginning  of 
this  short  address  to  relish  altogether  the  epithet  of  mer- 
latty ;  but  when  the  steel-like  clasp  of  his  neighbor's 
hand  closed  on  his  thumb,  and  caused  the  blood  to  spirt 
from  beneath  the  nail,  the  Maltese  uttered  a  howl  of  sup- 
pressed anguish,  and  looked  very  wicked. 

I  thought  that  a  blade  would  have  been  gleaming  across 
the  table  ;  but  Lowther  spoke  up  with  a  scornful,  brow- 
beating look  and  tone,  and  said,  "  Hark'ee,  you  long, 
slab-sided  Yankee ;  no  more  of  those  tricks  in  my  pres- 
ence." 

"  Sartin',  sartin',  capting ;  don't  git  mad ;  I  ain't. 
Here,  Dego,  give  us  yer  hand.  I  didn't  set  out  to  hurt 
yer  pritty  skin ;  "  and  then  turning   again  to   Lowther 


TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES.  151 

and  ^lurden,  as  if  he  was  meditating  a  small  mental  esti- 
mate of  their  powers  in  the  event  of  a  struggle,  he  went 
on.  "  AVal,  capting,  you  hadn't  oughter  talk  too  darned 
big  at  fust  goin'  off,  fur  yer  may  hev  heern  tell  that  we 
Yankees  licked  up  you  Britishers  all  tu  smash  last  war ; 
and  'twas  all  for  crossin'  with  the  redskins  ;  and  as  fur 
my  slab  sides,"  —  here  the  speaker's  tongs  of  arms  were 
laid  on  the  table,  while  the  bony  claws  curved  inwards 
nervously,  and  the  eyes  in  the  fellow's  head  dilated  with 
the  peculiar  light  of  an  opal,  —  ^'  why,  the  long  and  the 
short  on  'em  is  this  'ere :  that  if  I  get  a  fair  hold  on  yu^ 
I'll  make  yer  back  crack,  and  yer  bootiful  teeth  chatter, 
and  yer  pritty  peepers  turn  round  and  round  in  ther 
sockets " 

"  Avast,  there,  lads ! "  broke  in  Murden,  with  an 
oath ;  "  stopper  all  sich  talk  for  a  full  due.  We've  met 
here  for  a  certain  business  in  hand ;  and,  mateys,  let's 
steer  wide  of  one  another's  throats.  Tut,  tift,  boys  ! 
never  look  so  glum ;  there's  plenty  of  work  ready 
carved  out  to  our  hands,  and  no  needs  for  breaking  up  in 
a  row  at  this  stage  of  the  action.  So,  Jonathan,  you 
hold  your  wind  till  Maltee  tells  us  a  word  about  the 
affair  on  the  tother  side  of  the  bay." 

"  Yis,  shipmet,"  again  drawled  out  the  conical,  bullet- 
headed  Yankee  ;  *'  but  yu  needn't  trouble  yer  pipes  by 
callin'  me  Jonathan  agin,  for  my  raal  given  name  is  El- 
nathan,  —  Elnathan  Spuke,  —  and  our  family  doosn't 
admire  to  be  called  out  of  ther  names  more  ner  once 


152  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

at  a  sittin'  ;  or  else/'  he  added,  ^'  sum  on  yer  miglit  git 
more  sarce  to  yer  pudden  than  ushal." 

"  Come,  no  offence  meant,  my  hearty,"  rejoined  Mur- 
den  ;  "  here's  my  fist.  I  don't  bear  much  love  for  your 
countrymen,  though  ;  for  t'other  night  some  one  of  those 
jolly  marines  drove  a  bit  of  a  slug  of  lead  through  my 
ear  when  I  was  a  paddlin'  away  from  that  infernal  cor- 
vette ;  but  still  I  don't  bear  malice  ;   there." 

During  the  foregoing  colloquy  Lowther  controlled 
his  temper,  and  with  a  furtive  glance  of  no  good  towards 
the  individual  who  had  provoked  his  ire,  he  resumed 
his  previous  smoking  indifference.  Now,  however,  he 
began,  in  a  quick,  curt  voice,  as  if  his  mind  had  been 
made  up,  and  that  nothing  more  need  be  said. 

"  Men,  the  trading  house  by  whom  I've  been  em- 
ployed has  met  with  a  bad  run  of  luck  lately,  in  losing 
a  large  cargo  just  outside  the  harbor,  and  all  owing  to 
some  spy,  who,  it  appears,  must  have  given  the  most 
minute  directions  about  the  appearance  and  time  the  ves- 
sel was  looked  for.  They  are  willing  to  give  fifty  mil- 
reis  a  head  for  every  nigger  rescued  from  the  hands  of 
the  English,  who  landed  them  yesterday  and  to-day  from 
the  old  Veloz,  near  Praya  Grande.  They  were  a  soft 
pack  of  fools,  any  way,  for  trusting  them  out  of  sight  of 
the  frigate's  guns  ;  but  that's  all  the  better  for  us.  In  my 
opinion,  twenty  men  can  easily  accomplish  the  work,  for 
the  guard,  as  Maltee  there  says,  is  only  six  or  eight 
marines  and  half  a  dozen  blue  jackets,  with  an  officer  or 


TALES    FOK    THE    MARINES.  153 

t"«'o  —  a  mere  handful,  and  quite  unsuspicious  of  an 
attack.  Again,  lads,  my  employers  have  promised  to 
furnish  half  the  number  required,  and  each  of  us  can 
pick  up  a  stray  hand  to  lend  a  pull,  either  from  the  fish 
market  gang  or  through  Mother  Surf.  The  money  is  to 
be  shared  ecjually  by  all.  Now  you  hear  the  terms,  are 
we  agreed  ?  " 

"  Si,  si,  Cajpitan,  Sta-boa,^^  hissed  the  Maltese. 

^'  Yis,  capting,  I'm  in  for  that  ventur.  We  sheer  and 
sheer  alike  ;  wal,  that's  handsome ;  but,"  he  twanged 
out  with  a  cajoling,  nasal  whine,  "  yu  wouldn't  mind 
now,  would  ye,  to  give  a  feller  a  bit  of  scrip,  in  case 
any  thin'  should  happin  to  yer,  ye  know,  so  that  we 
might  git  the  gilt  from  the  Portingee  owner.  Not,"  he 
added,  "  that  I  partickerly  keers,  but  my  partner,  'Lias 
Nash,  is  tarnation  cute  in  all  his  investments,  for  he's 
part  of  a  Gay  Head  Injun,  and  was  edicated  on  the 
Florida  reef,  at  the  wrackin'  business." 

As  Lowther  remained  impassible  to  this  agreeable 
allusion  to  worldly  affairs,  and  the  uncertainty  of  human 
life,  "  By  S23ikes  !  "  rapped  out  the  Yankee  in  a  fit  of 
generosity ;  "  wal,  capting,  it's,  a  pesky  risky  matter  ;  but 
you  ken  jist  put  'Lias  and  me  down  fur  a  few  chances." 
Then  turning  to  the  Maltese,  while  his  fishy  eyes 
danced  at  the  prospect  of  the  rich  prize  in  view,  he  went 
on  :  "  And  how  many  of  them  theer  nasty  darkeys  du 
yu  calkilate  hev  ben  landed,  and  when  air  we  to  go  to 
work  ? " 


154  TALES    roll   THE    MAKINES. 

'^  SeiiliorSpukee,iii  tree  day,"  replied  the  dingy  scoun- 
drel, holding  up  his  fingers. 

"  That  be  blasted,"  exclaimed  the  other.  *'  Why  not 
to-morrow  night  ?  Them  nigs  is  a  dyin'  off  like  sixty, 
and  every  one  on  'em,  the  capting  sez,  is  valooed  at  fifty 
milreis." 

"  That  can't  be,  Spuke,"  put  in  Lowther.  "  The  ar- 
rangements can't  possibly  be  made  in  less  than  forty- 
eight  hours,  for  the  owners  want  to  run  them  a  long 
way  back  in  the  Beira  Mar  ;  and  just  now,  the  slaves 
haven't  got  the  strength  to  use  their  legs.  But  if  you 
feel  inclined  to  carry  a  hundred  or  so  on  your  back  for 
a  score  or  two  of  leagues,  why,  I  spose  there'll  be  no 
objections  ;  but,  meanwhile,  keep  yourself  ready." 

The  concluding  portion  of  these  remarks  was  deliv- 
ered with  a  sneer  ;  but  the  long  Yankee  was  too  busy, 
apparently,  at  the  time,  with  his  mirror  and  soap  locks  on 
his  cone-built  head,  to  heed  the  manner  of  the  speaker. 
He  only  drawled  out,  as  he  stretched  his  long  neck 
so  as  to  get  a  side  peep  of  the  hair  behind  his  ears, 
"  Sartin,  shipmet ;  if  I  happin  to  come  across  a  likely 
nig,  as  is  sound  in  the  bones,  and  nobody  keers  for  him, 
I  rayther  guess  I'll  freeze  on  to  him  for  my  own  private 
spec." 

There  was  a  pause  of  a  few  seconds,  during  which 
period  Lowther  and  the  Maltese  continued  to  puff  their 
Havanas,  while  Murden  rested  his  aching  head  upon 
the  table  ;  when  Mr.  Elnathan  Spuke,  being  seemingly 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  155 

the  most  communicative  person  of  tlie  party,  broke 
ground  again. 

"  Wal,  I've  heern  that  you  chaps  come  from  the 
Guinea  Coast  in  the  new  Yankee  curvet  as  got  in  last 
week.  How  did  yer  hke  ther  capting  ?  I've  know*d 
the  old  flint  this  many  a  year,  and  he  once  came  nigh 
puttin'  an  eend  to  the  hull  Spuke  family,  I  tell  ye,  jist 
for  tryin'  to  run  a  few  ankers  of  Hollands,  some  sugar 
and  'lasses  from  the  West  Inges,  at  Quidnet,  on  Nan- 
tucket. Consarn  him,  he  hove  round  the  lighthouse 
pint,  and  without  askin'  any  questions,  he  let  fly  a  twelve 
pounder,  rammed  as  full  as  ever  it  could  stick  with 
grape  shot,  bullets,  and  things,  right  in  among  the  entire 
kit  and  bile  of  our  family.  I  was  a  boy  in  them  times, 
but  feyther  was  considerably  riled  about  it,  and  went 
straight  oflf  and  traded  with  the  enemy,  and  talked  some 
of  lickin'  Deacon  Baxter  for  givin'  information  to  the 
gun  boat.  I  hain't  had  much  to  do  myself  with  Mad 
Jack,  as  they  calls  him  to  hum  ;  but  the  folks  sez  he's  an 
orful  hard  shell'd  quohog  to  open,  if  yer  don't  git  him 
at  ther  hinge.     How  did  ye  find  the  old  critter,  eh  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  grunted  out  Murden,  raising  his  head  on  his 
elbows,  "  we  did  take  the  trip  in  the  Junyatter,  and  a 
quick-heeled  craft  she  is  too,  and  the  skipper's  an  out- 
and-out  seaman,  but  the  blasted  old  dog  licked  me  for 
not  goin'  on  the  topsail  yard  to  cut  away  the  sail,  when 
a  gale  was  howling  hard  enough  to  hack  the  devil's 
horns  off." 


156  TALES    roil   THE    MARINES. 

"Dii  tell!  by  spikes!  that's  him,"  cachinnated  the 
Yankee,  with  a  sound  between  a  bark  and  a  whistle,  as 
if  he  hadn't  heard  so  good  a  joke  since  his  boyhood. 
"  And  how  did  you  carry  sail,  and  git  on  ?  "  he  asked  of 
the  well-dressed  villain  facing  him;  "did  the  skipper 
gin  ye  tu  a  picture  of  a  spread  eagle  over  yer  booti- 
ful  shoulders,  or  a  small  drink  of  salt  water,  for  a 
tonic,  as  I've  heern  he  allers  does,  fur  fellers  as  is  outer 
sperits  ?  " 

The  great  bony  giant  preserved  an  admirable  inno- 
cence of  expression,  during  the  foregoing  interrogatories. 
As  he  finished  Lowther  gave  a  start,  while  his  cheeks 
were  suffused  with  passion,  and  I  expected  to  see  his 
fist  dashed  into  the  interlocutor's  face;  but  at  the  mo- 
ment there  was  a  noise  in  the  passage,  as  if  some  heavy 
weight  was  being  dragged  over  the  floor,  and  the  party 
at  the  table  held  their  peace. 

Presently  there  came  a  series  of  light  taps  of  knuckles 
on  a  door,  directly  opposite  to  the  one  where  I  was 
posted,  and  simultaneously  a  sharp,  cracked  female  voice 
exclaimed,  "All  right,  boys  !  it's  only  Mag  —  open," 

The  door  was  immediately  unfastened  by  one  of  the 
men,  and  in  walked  the  thin,  shrewish  woman,  squinting 
most  villanously  over  her  inflamed,  hawk-billed  nose, 
w^hom  I  had  seen  in  the  dance  halls  below. 

"  Hillo  !  what's  that,  Mag,  you're  tuggin'  this  way  ?  " 
began  Murden. 

"  Why,  ye  lazy  lubber,  it's   a  treach'rous  cove  has  I 


TALES    FOU   THE    MARINES.  157 

hemployed  to  go  with  you  chaps  on  the  hexpedition  to 
the  Praya  ;  but  I  larned  as  'ow  he  'ad  designs  to  peach, 
and  so  I  hokussed  his  drink,  and  wen  he  was  laid  out 
flat  and  axed  for  more,  I  jest  tuk  a  funnel  and  hemptied 
three  quart  gin  jugs  down  his  throat,  and  the  consekens 
is,  he  hasn't  drawn  a  sober  sigh  since." 

"  By  thunder,  the  man's  as  dead  as  a  hammer,"  said 
Lowther,  without,  however,  betraying  the  slightest 
emotion. 

'^  Well,  who  the  'ell  said  he  w^asn't,"  retorted  the 
irate  hag ;  "  but  do  you  s'pose  the  fish  gang  will  ever 
bewail  sich  a  miserable  swab  as  that  ?  Here,  beauty  !  " 
she  continued,  to  the  long  Mr.  Spuke,  "  pitch  this  cask 
of  gin  down  that  hole  in  the  wall,  will  yer  ?  He  cost  me 
sixty  vintems  to  fill  him  up." 

"  With  all  the  pleasm*e  in  life,  mim,"  rejoined  the 
Yankee,  as  he  rose  with  great  alacrity,  while  his  mouth 
opened  with  a  spasmodic  grin,  at  the  compliment  paid 
to  his  good  looks ;  and  moving  towards  the  wall,  where 
was  a  close  shutter,  like  to  a  window,  he  unbolted,  and 
swung  it  wide  open. 

Heavens  !  w^hat  a  smell  filled  tlie  room,  and  penetrated 
even  through  the  hole  in  the  door  lock  to  the  passage 
where  I  was  ensconced  !  It  w^as  the  same  awful  stench 
which  had  assailed  me  from  the  roof  above. 

"  Quick,  my  hangel,"  cried  Mag,  "  or  we'll  all  be 
stufi'ocated." 

The  long  Yankee  made  but  two  strides,  and  taking 
14 


158  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

up  the  mass  of  flesh,  —  whether  living  or  dead  he 
seemed  not  to  care,  —  as  if  it  had  been  a  feather,  he 
raised  the  weight,  and  poising  it  at  the  proper  elevation, 
he  sung  out,  "  Launch,  ho  !  "  and  down  went  the  body- 
through  the  aperture. 

I  thought  I  heard  a  deep  groan,  as  the  carcass  struck 
from  side  to  side  of  the  well,  in  its  descent  ,*  but  the 
shutter  was  immediately  closed ;  and  Spuke,  turning  to 
the  woman,  said,  in  his  softest  snarl,  — 

"  Now,  missis,  I  guess  you'd  like  to  gin  me  a  kiss 
for  helpin'  yer." 

"  Kiss  you,  you  lantern,  wapperjawed,  slush-dipped 
Yankee  !  I  like  your  himpedence,"  retorted  the  virago, 
with  her  skinny  arms  akimbo,  as  she  wheeled  towards 
the  door  again. 

At  this  free-spoken  repulse,  Mr.  Spuke  regained  his 
seat,  growling,  in  an  under  twang,  something  about  being 
"  tarnation  riled  at  the  female ; "  and  then  for  a  time 
he  remained  silent. 

"  I'll  tell  ye,  bullies,  what  I  will  do  though,"  again 
resumed  Mistress  Surf;  "I'll  stand  treat  for  a  toss  of 
pure  Geneva ;  so  jest  wait  a  bit  till  I  finds  the  key,  and 
I'll  tramp  round  by  the  bar,  and  hand  it  by  the  trap." 

With  that  she  scuffled  out  of  the  room,  the  door  was 
locked  behind  her,  and  w^iile  the  party  of  scoundrels  sat 
expectantly  at  the  board,  I  was  overwhelmed  with  horror 
and  indignation  at  the  diabolical  scene  I  had  a  moment 
before  witnessed. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  159 

Five  minutes  may  have  elapsed,  when  a  grating  noise 
was  heard,  near  to  where  the  reflector  was  nailed  to  the 
wall ;  and  presently  a  broad  panel  was  unclosed,  and  the 
vixen-eyed  Mag  appeared,  with  some  glasses  aUd  a 
square  case  bottle  of  Hollands. 

"  Here,  my  beauty,"  said  she,  leaning  her  vile  coun- 
tenance on  her  hands,  her  elbows  resting  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  trap  ;  "  here,  my  hangel,  have  a  toss,  it's 
horful  'ot  hup  'ere,  and  'ollands  his  cooling  to  the  'ed  ; 
it's  a  deal  better  than  kissus." 

This  address  to  the  outraged  Mr.  Spuke  appeared  to 
have  a  happy  effect  in  removing  the  wrath  which  had 
oppressed  him.  His  face  untwisted  into  a  smile,  and 
he  deigned  to  take  a  full  tumbler  of  the  potation,  fling- 
ing it  down  his  huge  mouth  at  one  gulp,  but  observing, 
at  the  same  time,  that  he  "  admired  a  pull  of  swanky  an 
all-fired  sight  better  than  gin." 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  ungracious  speech,  the  tray, 
with  its  contents,  was  placed  on  the  table. 

"  Harkee,  lads,"  began  Mag,  as  she  sipped  her  own 
dram ;  "  there's  been  some  suspicious  coves  about  the 
crimping  houses  and  aguardiente  shops  all  the  evening, 
headed  by  a  drunken  ofiicer  ;  looking,  they  say,  for 
desarters  from  one  of  the  ships  o'  war  in  the  harbor. 
Now,  I'd  adwise  ye  to  slide  for  to-night,  and  not  to  wait 
for  that  flash  lass,  Loo,"  (here  she  squinted  malevolently 
at  Lowther,)  "  but  betake  yeselves  snug  to  bed  and  get 


160  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

out  o'  harm's  way,  though,  the  old  boy  himself  couldn't 
ferret  ye  out  up  here." 

^'  Well,  mim/'  drawled  the  bony  Yankee,  "  I've  a 
leetle  business  on  hand,  in  the  smuggling  way,  afore  day- 
light ;  so  I'll  make  tracks.  Captin,  and  you,  too,  matey, 
I'll  meet  yer  agin  whenever  yer  agreed  ;  come  along, 
merlatty,"  and  the  Maltese  and  he  prepared  for  a  start. 

"  Not  this  direction,  boys,"  said  Mag,  as  she  perceived 
them  going  towards  the  door  by  which  she  herself  had 
entered;  "t'other  way,  and  go  out  by  the  Kua,  up  by 
the  Arcos  of  the  old  aqueduct." 

The  entrance  behind  which  I  was  secreted  was  hastily 
unlocked,  and  the  brace  of  worthies  pushed  through, 
giving  me  only  time  and  space  to  avoid  being  detected. 

When  I  succeeded  in  regaining  my  position  at  the 
door,  which  had  not  been  bolted,  after  the  departure  of 
the  Maltese  and  Spuke,  Mag  had  disappeared,  and  a 
woman  had  just  entered  the  apartment,  and  thrown  her- 
self upon  a  stool  beside  Lowther,  at  the  table. 

She  was  rather  below  than  above  the  usual  height  of 
her  sex.  Her  figure  was  full  and  swelling,  and  above 
her  half-exposed  bosom  the  throat  rose  round  and  beauti- 
ful, but  burned  by  tropical  suns.  The  mouth  was  small 
and  firm  ;  the  teeth  white  as  ivory  ;  above  were  a  pair  of 
large  blue  eyes,  denoting  her  Saxon  origin,  while  a  rich 
mass  of  brown  hair  was  banded  heavily  around  her 
brows,  and  knotted  behind.  There  was  nothing  coarse 
in  the  expression  of  the  face,  but  yet  a  cruel  hardness 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  161 

about  the  eyes,  and  a  firm,  unfeminine  print  to  the 
mouth  and  dilated  nostril,  which  showed  but  too  plainly 
that  her  experiences  had  not  been  suited  to  her  sex  or 
beauty.  Her  age  might  be  about  thirty.  She  was 
dressed  entirely  in  white,  save  a  brilliant  flower,  which 
shaded  her  finely  developed  bosom,  and  heightened  the 
color  of  her  complexion.  A  light,  filmy  gauze  scarf, 
confined,  by  large  filigree  gold  pins,  to  the  knot  of  her 
hair,  fell  over  the  back  of  her  neck  and  partially  con- 
cealed one  shoulder. 

*^  William,"  said  she,  "  it's  rather  unkind  of  you  to 
ask  me  again  to  mingle  with  this  crowd  of  beastly,  dis- 
gusting wretches,  now  we've  hardly  been  together  a 
week.  I  flew  to  you  from  the  Serra  Acima  the  mo- 
ment I  knew  you  had  arrived,  but  instead  of  finding  a 
lap  full  of  gold  ounces  to  welcome  me,  I  meet  a  poor 
fellow  without  a  rag  to  his  back,  who  in  a  jifiy  has  lost 
his  vessel  and  cargo,  and  now  expects  me  to  take  him 
again  to  my  arms,  and  mark  out  another  fortune  for 
him.  But,"  she  added,  as,  with  a  fiushed  face  and 
kindling  eye,  she  dashed  her  closed  hand  upon  the  board, 
"  it's  the  last  time,  the  very  last.  You're  too  avaricious, 
by  half ;  and  old  Jose,  whom  you  think  I  can  so  easily 
cajole,  tells  me,  moreover,  that  in  place  of  sticking  to 
the  legitimate  trade,  which  is  profitable  enough,  as 
prices  go  with  the  ebony,  you  are  forever  taking  too 
much  ammunition  aboard,  and  he  believes  you  wish 
to  try  your  knife  under  the  black  flag." 
14* 


163  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

Lowther  gave  a  quick,  cautionary  glance  to  Murden, 
and  turning  to  the  girl,  with  a  soothing  manner,  began, 
"  Well,  but,  dear  Loo,"  when  she  checked  him  with, 
"  Don't  dear  Loo  me,  Bill ;  I  will  speak  out.  What 
Jose  says  is  true,  and  the  Clara,  which  cost  with  her 
equipment  nigh  forty  thousand  milreis,  is  now  cruising 
about  the  seas  under  the  bloody  cross  of  St.  George. 
Indeed,  owing  to  your  devilish  bad  luck,  you  have  run 
but  one  fair  cargo  out  of  three,  and  half  of  the  last  has 
not  been  paid  by  that  cunning  rogue  at  St.  Salvador." 

«^But  he  shall  pay  it,"  exclaimed  her  lover  with  a 
fearful  imprecation,  "  and  I'll  square  accounts  with  him, 
too,  for  the  interest." 

The  woman,  unmindful  of  this  interruption,  went  on, 
with  a  fluency  and  precision  of  word  and  gesture  that 
claimed  the  utmost  attention. 

"  And  now,  after  striving  to  induce  the  old  trader  to 
fit  you  out  again,  he  swore  that  he'd  do  no  such  a  thing, 
arfd  if  you  wanted  service,  it  must  be  begun  and  con- 
ducted regular.  But  first,  you  must  go  to  Buenos  Ayres 
for  horses,  and  then  carry  jerked  beef  to  Cuba  in  the 
old  polacre,  and  from  there  bring  back  a  load  of  coun- 
terfeit copper  coin,  stamped  by  the  Yankees.  After 
that  he'll  perhaps  try  you  and  that  drunken  swab 
there,"  pointing  with  a  contemptuous  sneer  to  Murden, 
**  on  another  trip  to  the  Barracoons." 

"  Before  I  begin  again  to  mount  that  ladder,  I'll  see 
the  old  pig-headed,  yam-munching  Portingee  in  hell," 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARI>-E3.  163 

burst  out  LoY\'ther,  as  he  rose  from  tlie  table^  and  burled 
away  the  stool  on  Ayhich  he  was  sitting. 

"  Well,  see  him  there,  and  go  there  with  him/'  said 
the  excited  woman,  springing  to  her  feet ;  ^'  but  don't 
ever  again  try  to  coax  me  into  an  association  with  such 
a  horrid  wretch  as  this  Mag  Surf,  and  the  brutal  beasts 
of  her  crimping  ruramery,  or  may  be,  my  hearty,  you'll 
find  that  even  Loo  O'Neil  won't  stand  by  you  !  "What," 
she  went  on,  '^  not  content  with  a  clear  chance  of  filling 
your  pockets,  on  a  sure  voyage,  but  you  must  needs  let 
loose  the  slave  cargo  at  Praya  Grande,  bringing  the 
w^hole  tribe  of  John  Bull  on  our  backs,  and  perhaps 
helping  me  to  get  a  collar  of  silk  rope  twisted  round  my 
neck,"  — and  as  she  uttered  this,  she  clutched  her  beau- 
tiful throat  like  a  vice,  — ''  like  all  the  poor  women,  my 
companions  in  crime,  who  were  strung  up  for  murdering 
the  crew  of  the  convict  ship.  Xo,  no  !  Bill ;  I'm  fond 
of  you,  God  knows,  but  not  utterly  blind  ;  and  I'm 
talking  for  your  real  good ;  so  take  my  advice,  give  up 
the  business  you  have  in  hand,  and  close  with  old  Jose's 
offer." 

The  desperado  regarded  her  for  a  moment  with  a 
look  of  sternness  from  beneath  his  frowning  browns,  and 
then,  seizing  her  by  the  wrist,  forced  her  again  to  her 
seat,  and  said,  — 

^'  Hear  me  a  minute.  Loo.  I  sent  for  you  from  a 
pleasant  retreat,  no  doubt,  and  I  admit  that  it  was  be- 
cause I  was  poor  and  forsaken  that  I  did  so ;  but  I  felt 


164  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

that  I  could  rely  on  your  courage  and  devotion.  I 
thought  that,  perhaps,  a  little  excitement  might  not  be 
displeasing  to  you,  and  that  new  scenes  would  serve  to 
dispel  the  shadows  which  surround  the  skeleton  feasts 
we  sometimes  sit  down  to  with  the  phantoms  of  the 
past.  I  knew  very  well  that  old  gripe  Jose  would 
be  very  shy  of  giving  me  another  chance  ;  but  since  our 
escape  from  the  Yankee  corvette,  I  have  learned  that 
my  first  employer,  Perreira,  was  concerned  in  the  cargo 
captured  last  week,  in  the  Veloz,  by  the  man-of-war 
brig.  I  at  once  laid  a  plan  to  set  the  slaves  free  from 
the  English ;  perhaps,  if  I  succeed,  he  may  fit  me  out 
anew  ;  and  then.  Loo,  should  fortune  befriend  me,  we'll 
try  a  throw  of  the  dice  in  some  other  part  of  the  world, 
where  the  game  is  good,  and  the  climate  less  sweltering 
than  in  these  hot  Brazils.  It  was  this  which  induced 
me  to  ask  you  to  help  me,  as  you  only  can,  and  for 
these  reasons  ;  but  if  you  don't  care  to  give  me  your 
aid,  why,  I'll  do  the  best  I  may  alone ;  and  if  I  succeed, 
you  shall  share  with  me,  as  of  old." 

These  words  had  their  efifect  upon  the  woman,  who 
appeared  to  relent,  particularly  at  her  lover's  concluding 
touch  of  generosity.  "  Well,  Bill,"  she  resumed,  "  I 
haven't  yet  said  I'd  entirely  forsake  you  ;  I  only  find  fault 
with  you  for  bringing  me  into  this  horrid  den ;  for  who 
knows  at  what  moment  this  Mag  Surf  may  betray  me  ? 
and  then  —  but  what's  that  noise  ?  "  At  this  instant, 
the  door  against  which  I  was  leaning,  not  being  properly 


TALES    FOE.   THE   MARINES.  165 

fastened,  gave  way,  and  I  came  with  a  pitch  right  slap 
into  the  room. 

Before  I  had  fairly  recovered  my  senses,  the  panel  of 
the  adjoining  partition  was  shoved  aside,  disclosing  the 
inflamed  countenance  and  frightful  squint  of  Mag  her- 
self, who  exclaimed  in  a  sharp,  harsh  key,  "  Budge,  boys  ! 
budge  !  There's  a  party  from  the  corvette  in  the  other 
house  on  your  scent ;  they've  been  drinkin'  with  some 
of  the  liberty  men  from  the  English  ships,  and  havin' 
lost  a  little  disguised  officer,  who  was  with  'em,  I  heard 
a  marine  swear  they  would  find  him,  and  have  you,  dead 
or  alive.     So  bolt." 

During  this  pleasant  warning,  the  hag  glanced  her 
eyes  around,  and  descrying  me,  screamed,  "  Ay,  there's 
the  ill-favored  brat  who  led  them  here.  Smash  him, 
Tom  !     Stop  his  luff,  sharp." 

I  had  by  this  time  recovered  my  wits,  and  seeing  the 
peril  of  my  position,  without  more  ado,  I  assumed  as 
bold  a  front  as  possible,  and  pulling  a  small  dirk  from 
my  bosom,  I  said,  "  I've  been  sent  for  you  by  the  cap- 
tain, and  you  must  go  immediately  on  board  to  get  the 
reward  for  your  crimes,  you  piratical  villains." 

"  What,"  yelled  the  virago,  "  so  you've  been  eves- 
droppin',  have  ye  ?  Here,  Tom,  drop  him  from  the  eaves," 
as  she  croaked  at  her  joke,  "  for  dead  boys,  as  well  as 
men,  tell  no  tales.  Come,  out  with  the  shutter,  and 
plunge  the  sculpin  into  the  sewer ;  he'll  land  on  the 
gin  guzzler,  and    the  nigger   Surf  stabbed  last  night. 


166  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 


and  they'll  all  be  gnawed  up  clean  by  the  rats  afore 


mornin'." 


During  this  scene  the  two  men  had  sprung  to  their 
feet,  while  their  female  companion,  passing  rapidly  behind 
me,  had  closed  and  bolted  the  door.  "  O,  ho  !  "  said  the 
ruffian,  Tom  Murden,  as  he  glared  at  me  with  the 
ferocity  of  a  savage,  *^  ye  miserable  shrimp  of  a  reefer  ! 
you've  come  to  take  us,  have  ye  ?  "  —  and  here  he  laughed 
derisively,  —  "  to  take  us  both  on  board,  eh  ?  "  "  And 
you've  heard  a  few  of  our  yarns  too,  no  doubt,"  chimed 
in  his  accomplice  ;  ''  and  the  good  captain  sent  ye,  did 
he  ?  And  now,  my  chick,  I've  a  message  to  send  to  that 
old  sea  tyrant,"  he  added  with  a  meaning  emphasis, 
"  when  the  devil  claps  his  tormentors  on  you  both,  and 
ye  meet  together  down  below  there,  —  for  you  may  take 
your  oath,  that  there's  small  hopes  of  seein'  one  another 
again  above  ground,  —  and  that  is,  that  Bill  Lowther  sliced 
your  weasand,  and  gave  you  a  toss  equal  to  that,  when 
he  cut  the  flemish  hawse  for  the  old  skipper,  in  return 
for  stopping  a  pirate's  game  in  the  Clara ;  so  say  the  last 
prayer  your  mammy  taught  you ;  and  here,  Tom,"  he 
ended,  "cut  his  head  off." 

"Hold,  Bill,"  broke  in  the  girl ;  "don't  let  us  mur- 
der the  little  fellow :  hand  him  over  to  Mag  :  she  will 
keep  him  tight  till  the  affair  is  over,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  bay." 

^*  What,"  grated  the  incensed  bag  at  the  panel. 
'^  Spare  that  imp,  and  have  us  all  in  the  chain  gang  ? 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  167 

No,  no  !  curse  him  !  go  on,  Tom ;  be  quick,  and  hold 
his  head  well  over  the  ledge,  so  as  not  to  spill  his  vine- 
gar blood  on  the  tiles :  quick,  I  say." 

I  began  to  realize  that  my  time  had  come  ;  I  saw  how 
utterly  useless  it  wouW  be  for  me,  a  slight,  though  ac- 
tive boy  of  fifteen,  to  attempt  to  cope  with  the  two  pow- 
erful desperadoes  before  me,  when  all  retreat  was  cut  off, 
and  no  saving  help  at  hand.  I  resolved,  however,  to 
make  one  effort,  and  before  you  could  think,  I  sprang  to 
the  panel,  and  with  my  closed  hand  around  the  hilt  of 
my  dirk,  I  dashed  it  into  the  face  of  the  virago ;  then 
with  a  shrill  yell,  which  seemed  unearthly  in  my  wild, 
desperate  energy,  and  which  reverberated  far  and  near, 
I  screamed,  "  Kit !  Kit !  murder  !  Come  to  me.  Kit ! 
Help !  "  I  could  hear  at  the  time  the  sound  of  the  wire 
bandolins  and  fiddles  scraping  in  the  easy  contradan^as, 
to  the  shuffling  feet  from  the  rooms  below,  while  above 
all  arose  the  hum  and  noise  of  the  sailors,  and  the  chink- 
ing of  glasses  used  in  their  potations.  Mag  gave  a 
frightful  ejaculation,  as  the  blow  staggered  her ;  but  re- 
covering herself  speedily,  she  slammed  to  the  panel, 
which  caught  my  miserable  little  bit  of  a  navy  dirk, 
and  snapped  it  off  within  an  inch  of  the  handle.  But 
the  opening  was  not  entirely  closed,  and  still  my  voice 
found  its  way  in  piercing  and  repeated  yells  for  Kit  and 
succor. 

The  table,  which  was  some  ten  feet  long,  fortunately 
chanced  to  be  between  the  men  and  my  position ;  and  at 


1G8  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

the  outset  of  my  assault  upon  Mag  Surf,  one  of  tlie 
ruffians  flung  with  immense  force  a  heavy  wooden  stool 
at  my  head,  which  just  passed  over,  but  smashed  out 
the  panel  again,  and  knocked  over  the  virago  behind  it. 
The  reflecting  lamp  upon  the  wall  was  also  detached, 
and  fell  to  the  floor  by  the  same  missile.  In  the  dark- 
ness which  followed,  I  gave  another  series  of  desperate 
screams  for  aid,  and  hearing  my  pursuers  groping  their 
way  in  the  dark,  I  shifted  my  ground,  and  made  a  dive 
under  the  table.  In  performing  this  feat,  I  came  full 
tilt  into  the  comely  person  of  Miss  Loo  O'Neil ;  but  can- 
noning off  from  her  knees,  I  brought  \i])  with  a  stunning 
crack  against  a  leg  of  the  table. 

"  What  a  slippery  little  eel  it  is  !  "  she  said.  "  Loo," 
exclaimed  Lowther,  "  stand  clear  for  a  run,  and  see  that 
side  door  ready ;  this  young  viper's  lungs  will  wake  up 
all  Rio  ;  and  strike  a  light,  Tom,  while  I  settle  him  ;  he's 
lost  his  toasting  iron,  so  there's  no  risk  in  catching  hold 
of  him." 

At  that  moment  a  vigorous  grasp  was  laid  upon  my 
ankle,  and  the  next,  I  was  dragged  roughly  from  my 
retreat. 

"  Never  mind  the  light.  Bill ;  I've  got  the  sprat,  sure  ; 
and  here  —  "  As  he  muttered  these  ominous  words,  with 
a  knife  held  between  his  clinched  teeth,  he  seized  me 
by  the  neck  with  one  hand  ;  but  as  he  let  go  my  heels 
with  the  other,  to  have  a  fair  slash  at  me  with  the 
weapon,  I  gave  a  sudden  wriggle,  and  feeling  his  thumb 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  169 

enter  my  moutli  to  the  first  joint,  I  gave  Hm  a  nip  with 
an  eye  tooth,  that  would  have  reflected  credit  upon  the 
beak    of  an   albatross.     I   felt    the    knuckle    and   bone 
crunch  like  a  mouthful  of  becaficos ;  at  the  same  time, 
with  a  burst  of  pain,  he  loosened  his  hold,  and  I  again 
scrambled    under   the    table.     In   the   interval,  I  could 
hear  the  hoarse  murmur  of  voices    at    some    distance, 
mingled  with  the  curses  and  screams  of  vile  Mag  Surf; 
but  above  all,  I  caught  the  sound  from  the  stentorian 
lungs  of  old  Dolphin.      "  This  way,  my  hearties !  out  of 
the  way.  Mammy  Aguardiente,  or,  moder  ob  heben  —  " 
Here  there  came  a  crash,  as  if  some  one  had  been  pitched 
down  a  flight  of  stairs  ;   but  still   the  noise  of  feet  and 
voices  rapidly   approached.     "  Hark  !  "    I  heard  Morris 
say  in   his    peculiar    treble ;    whereupon   I   yelled    and 
yelled  again.      "  This  way,  lads  ;  Kit,  dear  Kit,  come  to 
me."     I  saw  a  gleam  of  light  flash  along  the  corridor, 
through  a  chink  of  the  panel,  and  at  the  same   time  I 
was  again  seized  and  jerked  from  the  fl.oor.     On  this 
occasion,  I  felt  two  strong  hands  around  my  ankles  ;  I 
was  lifted  high  up,  when,  with  a  sickening  swing,  I  was 
whirled  against  a  casemate ;  a  quick  succession  of  sharp 
thrusts  were  dealt  me  from  the  steel  at  random,  and  then 
all  consciousness  forsook  me. 

Here  Fred  became  somewhat  excited,  and  his  uncle 
concluded  to  defer  the  sequel  of  his  adventures  for 
another  evening. 

15 


CHAPTER    VI. 

TVhen  I  returned  to  consciousness,  it  was  in  that  in- 
distinct way  which  I  presume  is  ever  the  case  where 
one  recovers  reason  after  a  fever  or  other  violent  malady. 
I  found  myself  lying  on  my  back,  on  a  low,  reedlike,  iron 
bedstead ;  gauze  mosquito  nets  were  drawn  on  three 
sides  of  the  couch,  and  the  only  light  shed  into  the 
little  alcove  v/here  I  lay  was  from  a  pair  of  broad- 
leaved  doors,  which  opened  into  a  large  saloon  beyond. 
Above  my  head,  danghng  from  the  gilt  rod  which 
upheld  the  curtains,  fell  a  fringe  of  dry  palm  leaves, 
stitched  together  in  shape  of  a  huge  fan.  To  the 
lower  part  was  attached  a  bit  of  cord,  which  every  now 
and  then  caused  the  plaited  leaves  to  vibrate  gently. 
How  this  operation  was  performed  puzzled  me  a  good 
deal,  for  it  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  effect  of  some  mys- 
terious agency,  and  I  had  not  the  sense  to  find  a  solu- 
tion of  the  wonder.  I  remember  that  I  tried  with  all 
the  little  mental  strength  I  had  to  divine  the  cause, 
until  at  last,  after  closing  my  eyes,  and  sagely  reflect- 
ing during  a  brief  doze,  I  bethought  me  of  following 
the  droop  of  the  cord  to  its  other  end. 

Again  I  ojjened  my  eyes,  and  this  time  they  rested 

(170) 


TALES    FOIl    THE    MARINES.  171 

upon  a  little  ebony  Trench,  seated  on  a  chair  at  the  foot  of 
the  bed.  Her  face  shone  like  satin,  when  the  shades  of 
lii^^ht  crossed  it,  as  she  slowly  nodded  from  side  to  side  ; 
then,  recovering  herself  with  a  start,  she  would  give  the 
palm  leaves  a  jerk,  and  drop  off  to  repose  again.  She 
was  dressed  in  a  scrupulously  clean  brown  linen  frock, 
cut  rather  high  about  the  heels,  so  that,  as  she  sat  with 
her  feet  on  the  round  of  the  chair,  she  exposed  more  of 
her  legs  to  view,  than  might  be  considered  altogether 
proper  in  a  pleasant  circle  of  friends  like  the  present.  I 
continued  gazing  at  her  with  incredible  anxiety,  fearing, 
in  my  flimsy  state  of  mind,  that  she  might  be  one  of  a 
cochin-china  breed  of  girls,  like  the  long-legged  shang- 
hai fowls.  So  much  did  this  idea  take  possession  of  me, 
that,  as  I  continued  to  regard  her  slender  whalebone 
limbs 

'*  Come,  Master  Harry,  '  that  will  do  with  the  band,' 
as  you  navy  men  say  ;  we  don't  wish  to  listen  to  any 
physiological  lectures  about  the  women." 

Why  not  ?  said  the  Lieutenant,  rather  testily  —  why 
not,  may  I  ask,  ma'am  ?  turning  to  the  charming  matron 
beside  him.  Don't  you  permit  the  architect  to  judge 
from  the  base  of  a  column  what  has  been  the  shaft,  the 
capital,  the  frieze,  the  architrave,  in  short,  the  entire 
structure  ?  and  why  may  not  an  amateur  student  of  the 
human  fiibric  seek  for  knowledge  under  similar  rules  ? 
But,  said  the  Lieutenant,  regaining  his  good  humor,  and 
bowing  to  his  fair  auditors,  I  shall  drop  a  petticoat  over 


172  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

these  subjects  for  the  future,  merely  adding,  by  way  of 
apology,  that  my  early  rudiments  of  propriety  were  not 
acquired  in  the  strict  school  of  the  excellent  St.  Francis 
of  Sales,  whose  morals  were  so  severe  that  he  was  never 
known,  even  in  the  privacy  of  his  closet,  to  indulge  in 
the  innocent  recreation  of  crossing  his  legs  —  a  tradition 
which  has  walked  down  to  us  from  some  Boswell  of 
those  days,  who  admits  that  he  kept  a  close  watch  upon 
the  saint  through  the  keyhole.  Moreover,  a  highly  vir- 
tuous and  refined  missionary  lady  told  me,  in  Polynesia, 
that  were  the  natives  of  those  islands  to  go  clothed,  she 
should  feel  shocked ;  for  the  same  reason,  perhaps,  that 
at  the  "  funeral  of  Junia,  the  wife  of  Cassius,  and  sister 
of  Brutus,  the  statues  of  all  the  great  persons  connected 
with  her  family  by  blood  or  alliance  were  carried  in  pro- 
cession, except  those  of  her  brother  and  husband."  This 
deficiency  struck  the  people  more  than  any  part  of 
the  show,  as  would  the  attiring  of  innocent  savages, 
who,  like  our  first  parents,  have  been  accustomed  to 
stalk  about  in  all  their  native  majesty,  in  vines  or  flax, 
as  best  may  have  suited  them. 

The  Lieutenant  paused,  and  finding  no  voice  raised 
to  dispute  the  admirable  sentiments  he  had  uttered,  took 
up  the  thread  of  his  yarn  where  he  had  been  inter- 
rupted. 

At  last,  during  a  moment  of  wakefulness,  as  my  dingy 
attendant  raised  her  head,  she  caught  my  eyes  full  upon 
her  ;  and  having  by  that  time  fully  decided  that   she 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAE.IXE3.  1 73 

Vv'as  a  spook  of  the  chicken  tribe,  and  about  to  do  me 
bodily  injury,  I  made  an  attempt  to  exorcise  her  by  mur- 
muring, "  Shoo,  biddy  !  "  *^  Ja  quop  hinnoo  !  "  she  ex- 
claimed, in  a  soft  voice,  as  she  approached  the  bed ; 
whereupon  I  dropped  the  heavy  lids  over  my  eyes, 
thinking  that  they  would  immediately  be  pecked  out. 
But  the  ebony  one  had  apparently  no  such  designs,  for 
presently  I  felt  a  gentle  hand  under  my  pillow,  a  cocoa 
nut  shell  was  placed  to  my  lips,  and  a  few  drops  of  cool 
lemonade  trickled  gratefully  down  my  throat.  '^  Beha 
juka  mais,^^  —  Drink  more,  dear,  —  she  said,  in  her  con- 
fused dialect ;  and  hearing  and  feeling  that  she  was  no 
longer  a  cochin-china,  but  a  good  little  black  bantam,  I 
again  opened  my  eyes,  and  absolutely  winked  at  her. 

"  I  believe  it,"  said  one  of  the  damsels,  sotto  voce  ; 
but  without  heeding  the  sarcasm,  the  narrator  went  on : 
Upon  this  my  watchful  little  nurse  drew  back,  surprised, 
no  doubt,  at  the  liberty,  and  with  a  sound  like  hushing 
an  infant  to  sleep,  she  closed  the  curtains,  and  resuming 
her  seat,  recommenced  swinging  the  fan  with  great  reg- 
ularity. 

The  very  monotony  of  the  waving  palms  above  my 
head  sent  me  to  sleep  once  more.  When  I  woke 
again,  the  clear  treble  of  a  piano  came  sweetly  into  the 
alcove  where  I  lay,  mingled  with  the  sea  breeze,  whose 
breath  M-as  laden  with  the  perfume  of  lemons  and  pines, 
while  a  low,  rich  contralto  voice  trilled  forth  the  follow- 
ing Castilian  couplets  :  — 
15* 


174  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

I. 

"  Si  de  tu  hermosura  qiiieres 
Una  copia  con  mil  gracias  ; 
Escucha,  porque  pretendo 
El  piutarla. 

II. 

"  Es  tu  frente  toda  nieve, 
Y  el  alabastro  batallas 
0Sreci6  al  amor,  haziendo 
En  ella  vaya,"* 

''  Brava,  Antoniettal  brava,  queridiia  !  ^^  exclaimed 
a  voice  in  Spanish ;  "  but  stop  now,  for  here  is  Mary 
with  her  lover,  who  sang  that  little  seguidiUa  last  night ; 
and  there's  the  boat,  too,  with  the  surgeon,  and  that 
queer,  blunt  old  captain  of  the  corvette,  coming  as  usual 
to  see  how  the  poor  little  reefer  is  ;  so  come,  amiga, 
let's  go  and  have  a  peep  at  him  first,  and  find  out  if  the 
poor  young  soul  is  ever  coming  to  his  senses  again." 

Presently  there  came  the  tripping  of  light  feet  over 
the  polished  floor,  softly  my  curtains   were  parted,  and 


"  List  while  the  thousand  charms  I  sing 
Which  round  thee  such  enchantment  fling. 
That  even  Love  has  plumed  his  wing 
To  seek  thy  bower 

IL 

*'  Thy  neck,  that  shames  the  mountain  snow, 
Thy  lip,  that  mocks  the  peaches'  glow, 
Bid  Cupid's  self  a  captive  bow 
Beneath  thy  power." 


TALES   FOR    THE    MARINES.  175 

through  my  half-closed  eyelids  I  beheld  a  comely  matron 
and  a  tall,  elegant  woman  bending  over  me  with  a 
sad  expression  in  their  gaze.  Beyond,  peeping  over 
their  shoulders,  a  sweet  oval  face  presented  itself,  with 
large,  almond-shaped,  dark  liquid  eyes,  fringed  with 
lashes  like  a  shade,  while  a  mouth  was  half  open  with 
excitement,  disclosing  a  double  row  of  head  rails  that 
no  ivory,  or  pearls,  or  alabaster  ever  equalled  in  their 
rosy  balconies. 

'^  Mas  cerca,^^  said  the  tall  lady,  "  come  nearer  and 
look  what  a  change  in  this  poor  boy  since  the  night  you 
saw  him  at  the  Russian  minister's." 

In  a  moment  the  girl  came  close  to  the  bedside,  and  I 
felt  with  a  thrill  of  pleasure  the  dewy,  cool  cushions  of  a 
little  hand  and  fingers,  which  were  timidly  passed  over 
my  forehead.  Ah,  what  a  comfort,  I  thought,  it  was  to 
be  slightly  indisposed,  for  I  had  not  then  recalled  the 
dreadful  scenes  I  had  gone  through.  Again  the  soft 
little  hand  smoothed  the  sheet  upon  my  breast,  and  wan- 
dered with  a  touch  of  down  over  my  cheeks,  murmuring 
the  while,  "Pobrecito,  que  disgracia  matar  el  marmozeto !  " 
— What  a  shame  to  kill  such  a  diminutive  little  monkey  ! 

Lord!  I  was  on  the  point,  just  before  this  speech 
was  uttered,  of  opening  my  eyes  and  entering  into  a 
discursive  conversation,  so  as  to  find  out,  if  possible, 
"vvhat  all  the  sympathy  meant,  and  whether  the  dark- 
eyed  beauty,  with  the  pouting  mouth,  would  like  to  get 
married  at  half  an  hour's  notice  ;  but   the   allusion  to 


176  TALES    FOE   THE   MARI^•ES. 

those  little  animals  who  hop  about  the  trees  and  attend 
street  organs  in  their  peripatetic  journeys  quite   discon 
certed  me,  and  I  remained  silent. 

The  ladies,  after  a  few  words  of  inquiry  addressed  to 
my  ebony  attendant,  softly  drew  the  curtains  once  more, 
and  left  me  to  contemplate  the  palm  leaves.  My  ears, 
however,  were  still  open  ;  and  presently  I  heard  the 
sound  of  men's  footsteps.  There  was  an  exchange  of 
salutations,  a  light  badinage  about  balls,  picnics  and 
boatings,  during  which  I  recognized  the  sound  of  old 
Percy's  voice. 

"  Well,  madam,  how  is  your  little  invalid  to-day  ?  " 

''  O  sir,  you  must  ask  the  doctor,  though  to  me  he 
seems  easier,  and  the  fever  has  almost  left  him." 

"  Thank  God  for  that,"  said  old  Jack,  heartily ; 
'*  we'll  set  him  on  his  pins  again,  I  hope,  although  how 
he  has  ever  survived  those  stabs  and  bruises  is  a  mystery 
to  me.  Ladies,  with  your  permission,  the  surgeon  and 
I  will  take  a  look  at  him." 

At  this  moment  I  perceived  a  dark  shadow  steal  into 
the  entrance  of  the  alcove  where  I  lay,  and  turning  my 
glance  in  that  direction,  I  saw  the  great  broad  shoulders 
of  Kit  Dolphin,  and  his  honest  face  above,  moving  on 
tiptoe  towards  my  couch,  while  the  doctor  began  in 
whispers  with,  "  Well,  old  man,  how  did  your  patient 
pass  the  night  ?  " 

"  Bery  good  indeed,  sir  ;  never  mumbled  a  syllabel 
since   de  moon  rose  at  midnight,  and  den  he  brok  out 


TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES.  177 

into  a  perfuse  prlspii*ation^  and  has  slept  like  a  babby 
ever  since." 

'^  Is  that  you,  uncle  Kit?"  I  said,  in  an  audible 
whisper. 

*^  De  Lord !  if  de  child  isn't  wide  awake  and  a'most 

well  !     Bress   Heben  for  dat,"  sighed  forth  the  faithful 

negro,  as   he   put  his   huge  hands  between  the   muslin 

curtains,  while   the  large   tears    fell  from  his  eyes  upon 

'  my  hand,  resting  on  the  bed  clothes. 

"  Yes,  Kit,  I'm  all  right,  only  a  trifle  weak  here  in 
the  side  and  head,  where  I  tumbled  out  of  my  hammock 
last  night." 

"  Hush ! "  said  the  surgeon  and  captain,  as  they 
drew  aside  the  mosquito  nets  and  joined  old  Dolphin ; 
"  don't  talk,  my  boy ;  let  me  feel  your  pulse.  Ah, 
doing  bravely  ;  now  take  a  few  drops  of  this,  shut  your 
eyes,  and  try  a  nap." 

The  potion  soon  had  its  effect,  and  in  another  attempt 
to  attract  the  attention  of  the  little  wench  who  had 
charge  of  the  fan,  I  dropped  ofl^  into  sound  sleep. 

I  need  not  tire  your  patience  by  recounting  how  for 
days  and  days  I  lay  on  my  narrow  couch,  with  my  mind 
trembling  on  the  brink  of  recollection,  while  the  past 
was  a  dreamy  waste,  or  how,  at  last,  the  tragic  events 
which  had  nearly  proved  fatal  to  me  flashed  with  all 
their  fierce  reality  upon  me  ;  how  I  was  fed  and  cared 
for  with  the  tenderness  of  a  mother  for  her  child  ;  how 
the  officers  came  and  said  pleasant  things,  bringing  little 


178  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

presents,  and  chatting  at  my  couch,  when  I  was  able  to 
converse ;  how  the  lovely  little  rose  bud,  Avho  likened 
me  to  the  monkey,  would  bring  her  guitar,  and  warble 
the  heart-touching  ballads  of  Andalusia ;  how  I  lay 
within  the  alcove,  and  watched  the  tiny  feet  moving 
about  in  waltz  or  montoncro,  every  evening,  around  the 
broad  saloon  ;  and  how,  in  the  mornings,  too,  I  could 
see  the  handsome  English  captain  making  love  to  the 
tall  angel  wlio  M'as  always  so  kind  to  me.  But  I  mubt 
skip  over  these  scenes,  tinged  with  physical  suffering 
and  pain  as  they  were,  when  the  surgeons  had  dressed 
and  bandaged  my  wounds  ;  but  I  was  a  boy  then,  full 
of  elastic  hopes  and  bright  visions  for  the  future  ;  and 
being  a  midshipman,  withal,  I  was  one  of  the  tou^;h 
pine  knot  species,  and  very  hard  to  kill,  I  can  tell  you. 

Now  that  my  mind  was  perfectly  clear  with  regard  to 
the  occurrences  I  had  witnessed  at  the  crimping  ren- 
dezvous, I  related  the  events  in  pretty  much  the  same 
words  that  I  have  to  you.  Old  Percy  never  seemed  to 
breathe  during  the  whole  recital ;  but  when  I  got 
through,  and  the  conviction  forced  itself  upon  him  that 
the  captain  and  mate  of  the  piratical  brig  were  the 
identical  sailors  who  had  shipped  at  St.  Thomas,  and 
deserted  from  the  Juniata  in  Eio,  his  large  gray  eves 
fiiirly  emitted  sparks  of  fire,  and  he  said,  "  Never  mind, 
Harry  ;  the  third  trick  shall  be  ours." 

Then  old  Kit  began,  and  at  intervals  told  me  what 
had  transpired  after  I  had  been  in  the  clutches  of  Low- 


TJkVa  FOR  THX  XAXDnES,  179 

tKer,  in  the  den  at  Surfs.  Both  be  and  Moms  bad 
become  alamied  at  ror  probmged  ab^oce,  and,  from  a 
(evr  words  the  ktter  oTerbeard  31;^  saj  to  ber  'Hebrew 
hwthsn^'m  the  tap,  be  hit  a  sospidon  tbat  dbe  deseiP- 
er»  were  somewhere  concealed  in  tbe  bnildiiig,  Aeeordf 
mglr,  they  made  friends  with  a  partj  of  ^tont  Engfisb 
sailors  who  were  on  fibestj  from  one  of  tbe  men-of-war 
in  the  harbor ;  and  while  abont  to  commenee  a  seard& 
in  the  adjacent  booses.  Kit,  who  was  a  little  in  advance 
heard  my  ringing  screams  for  help.  With  a  whole 
pack  of  farioas  Kolors  at  bis  bad^  ihej  dashed  from 
room  to  room,  nntil  they  descried  a  raj  of  ligfat  be- 
tween the  cracks  of  a  concealed  passage.  To  stare 
through  this,  and  spiing  np  a  long  iligbt  of  stone  stairs, 
was  the  work  of  a  moment ;  when  my  oies  again  weie 
heard.  The  enraged  Mag  baring  attempted  to  anest 
their  fmher  progress.  Kit  gare  ber  a  pitdi  orer  bis 
head,  and  she  nerer  broogbt  np  nntil  sbe  laj  senseless, 
with  a  broken  jaw,  at  the  foot  of  tbe  stairs^  Then,  with 
hij  companums  carrying  lighted  tallow  links,  they 
]eaped  through  the  paneL  Lowtber  \ad  me  by  one 
leg,  watching  a  chance  to  deal  a  final  dnnst,  at  tbe 
shatter  of  the  awfol  well,  while  tbe  blood  was  stream- 
ing from  the  wonnds  he  bad  already  giren  me*  **  Heb- 
en  bress  yon,  child,**  said  the  £iitbfsil  black ;  and  speak- 
ing in  the  third  person,  *^  dts  ole  ntgger  graphed  him 
^^'id  fle*e  paws,  while  Pete  Monis  jns*  dmT  bis  catty- 
comered  bagnet  trough  and  trough  dat  frQer  Merden's 


180  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

jaws,  when  de  oder  let  goes  you,  and  den  I  was  jus'  in 
de  werry  nick  ob  time  to  save  you  from  fallin'  do^\Ti  de 
hole;  and  so  dem  pair  of  cussed  bagabones  shot  like 
winky  trough  de  side  door.  Some  ob  de  boys  guv 
chase ;  but  dere  war  oder  strong  doors,  wid  de  latches 
down,  and  bolted  hard,  and  dey  could  get  no  furder. 
You  wos  a  sop  of  blood,  Massa  Harry,  and  dese  ole 
eyes  war  hot  as  coal  ob  fire,  to  tink  ob  de  tale  Kit  was 
p'rhaps  to  tell  your  granfader  and  modder ;  but  now, 
bress  God!  de  surgeon  say  you  'prove  mighty  soon, 
and  pretty  ladies  make  so  werry  nice  nurse  !  " 

This  was  the  gist  of  brave  Christopher's  discourse, 
as  he  sat  beside  me,  near  the  head  of  the  couch,  while 
his  eyes  sparkled  with  feeling ;  and,  notwithstanding 
the  singular  expression  given  to  his  fine,  copper-colored 
skin  by  the  mark  of  the  bursting  fuse,  I  thought  him 
the  most  beautiful  creature,  not  excepting  the  little  An- 
tonietta,  whom  I  had  ever  seen  ;  for  Kit  had  as  warm 
a  heart,  and  a  soul  as  white,  and  perhaps  whiter  than 
many  of  his  white-skinned  fellows.  O,  yes,  dear  uncle 
Kit !  you  saved  my  life  ;  the  heart  and  hand  arc  yours ; 
and  while  I  have  a  shot  in  the  locker 

Fred !  hastily  exclaimed  the  Lieutenant,  while  a  flush 
of  feeling  overspread  his  face,  remember  that  I  never 
proved  recreant  to  my  oath ;  and  I  hope  that  you,  too, 
may  never  forsake  the  tried  friend,  be  he  black,  blue, 

"vvrhite "  Or   gray,"  quietly  suggested  one   of  the 

audience. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  181 

I  never  heard  of  a  gray  man,  except  about  the  head, 
even  in  my  travels,  you  witch  !  retorted  the  Lieutenant ; 
though  I  believe  Lord  Monboddo  speaks  of  them,  to- 
^  gether  with  other  appendages,  in  the  court  circles  of 
Timbuctoo.  But  as  I  have  not  yet  visited  those  regions 
—  winking  jocosely  around  did  the  narrator  —  and  as 
Kit  ^vill  have  a  growl  in  the  morning  should  the  oysters 
be  over-roasted,  suppose  we  say  vamonos,  senoras,  with 
our  adventures. 

The  handsome  English  captain  was  present  during 
my  account  of  the  conversation  in  the  den  at  Eio,  and 
the  plan  matured  there  for  the  rescue  of  the  slave  cargo  ; 
and  I  learned  from  him  that  their  design  had  been  car- 
ried into  execution.  This  would  have  been  prevented, 
but  for  the  accident  which  had  happened  to  me.  The 
frigate's  guard  had  been  surprised,  gagged,  beaten,  bound 
hand  and  foot,  and  some  of  them  carried  a  considerable 
distance  up  the  hills,  where  they  were  unceremoniously 
thrown  among  the  dense  groves  of  the  coffee  plantations, 
and  would  inevitably  have  starved  to  death,  had  not  they 
been  accidentally  discovered  and  fortunately  released. 
But  what  made  the  matter  worse,  the  vessel  had  not 
been  condemned,  and  even  the  slaves  —  the  actual  proofs 
— were  wanting  to  establish  the  claim  of  the  captors  ; 
and  the  captain  of  the  frigate  who  had  them  in  charge 
was  made  to  bear  the  brunt  of  his  humanity  to  the  tune 
of  many  thousands  of  pounds. 

^^I  don't  care  for  being  ruined,"  he  exclaimed;  "but 
16 


182  TALES    FOR    THE    MARI^'ES. 

just  to  fancy  the  impudence  of  that  smooth-spoken 
scoundrel,  at  the  '  White  Jacket '  ball  in  Praya  Grande, 
who  claimed  me  as  a  shipmate,  under  the  name  of  Bob 
Yoltigeur,  in  the  old  '  Stag,'  and  dwelt  upon  so  many 
minute  reminiscences  of  our  early  fi'iendship,  that,  for 
the  life  of  me,  I  could  not  help  admitting  that  I  did 
recollect  him  perfectly  well;  although  may  the  devil 
admire  me  if  I  remembered  ever  to  have  seen  him 
before.  However,  we  soon  became  as  thick  as  pick- 
pockets, and,  at  my  earnest  solicitation,  he  kindly  con- 
sented to  present  me  to  the  daughter  of  a  rich  diamond 
merchant  of  his  acquaintance  —  a  plump,  blue-eyed 
charmer,  with  most  winning  manners,  who  seemed  to 
understand  all  my  execrable  broken  jumble  of  half 
Saxon  and  Portuguese,  and,  while  I  think  of  it,  pumped 
me  dry  with  regard  to  the  slave  cargo,  their  position, 
how  they  were  confined,  and,  in  short,  all  about  the 
business.  Well,  towards  two  in  the  morning,  after  I 
had  become  deplorably  fascinated  with  this  azure-eyed 
siren,  and  when  engaged  to  dance  with  her  a  stately 
minuet,  she  left  me  a  moment,  to  smooth  her  hair,  as 
she  expressed  it,  in  one  of  the  dressing  rooms,  and 
never  came  back.  You  may  imagine  what  a  study  for 
an  artist  I  presented,  standing  in  the  middle  of  that 
vast  ball  room,  vis-a-vis  wdth  a  jeweller's  fat  wife,  to 
whom  my  dashing  shipmate  of  the  old  *  Stag '  had  been 
paying  devoted  attention.  Since,  however,  there  were 
not  less  than  a  thousand  people  moving  about  the  hall 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  183 

and  colonnades,  I  very  naturally  surmised  that  my 
charming  partner  had  become  lost  in  the  human  laby- 
rinth, and  accordingly  instituted  a  search,  which  occu- 
pied me  until  daylight.  In  this  I  was  quite  unsuccess- 
ful ;  but  as  she  and  my  old  shipmate  had  very  kindly 
consented  to  breakfast  with  me  on  board  the  frisrate  at 

o 

ten,  I  took  my  own  departure,  to  make  some  slight  prep- 
arations for  so  agreeable  company. 

"  On  board  I  went,  ordered  the  stCM'ard  to  prepare 
every  thing,  from  a  shrimp  to  an  alligator  pear,  and 
leaving  an  invitation  for  the  first  lieutenant  to  partake 
of  the  feast,  I  turned  in  for  an  hour's  sleep. 

'^  Ah  !  "  continued  the  handsome  captain  ;  "  and  how 
long  do  you  suppose  I  waited  breakfast?  Why,  till 
nearly  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon ;  when  the  boat  which 
had  been  sent  to  Praya  Grande  with  the  dinner  for  the 
guard  returned,  and  reported  that  the  entire  cargo  of 
slaves,  marines,  sailors,  and  officers  had  been  spirited  off 
to  parts  unknown." 

"  Perhaps  they  will  all  come  back  under  the  wing  of 
that  blue-eyed  daughter  of  the  diamond  merchant," 
demurely  remarked  the  tall  angel  who  had  been  atten- 
tively listening  to  the  foregoing  observations,  while  lean- 
ing on  the  entrance  to  my  little  alcove. 

The  handsome  sailor  absolutely  blushed,  as  he  re- 
plied, "  Yes,  Miss  Mary ;  when  Don  Sebastian  returns 
to  his  dominions,  but  not,  I  fear,  before." 

Prompt  and  energetic  measures  had  been  resorted  to, 


18^  TALES    FOR  THE    MARINES. 

by  the  English  authorities^  to  recover  the  lost  property, 
and  lay  the  perpetrators  of  the  outrage  by  the  heels ; 
but  there  was  never  a  single  one  of  the  slaves  found. 
The  only  information  gleaned  relative  to  the  persons 
who  planned  the  business  was  from  a  French  savant,  who 
had  bivouacked  with  a  couple  of  men  and  a  woman,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Rio  Parahyba,  who  answered  to  the 
description  of  Lowther,  his  fair  sweetheart,  and  Murden. 
The  Frenchman  further  stated,  that  after  leaving  this 
pleasant  coterie,  he  missed  a  choice  packet  of  two  carat 
brilliants,  and  some  valuable  specimens  of  gold,  which 
he  had  collected  at  great  cost  and  trouble  at  the  Minas 
Novas,  far  in  the  interior. 

There  were  notes,  as  a  diplomatic  matter  of  course, 
between  the  two  governments,  and  great  grief  was  ex- 
pressed by  the  Brazilian  regent.  It  was  even  thought  by 
credulous  individuals  that  the  prime  minister  shed  tears 
on  more  than  one  occasion,  on  account  of  the  melancholy 
bereavement ;  but  after  a  renewal  of  assurances  of  dis- 
tinguished consideration,  one  to  another,  the  negotiation 
terminated. 

The  ostensible  owners  of  the  Veloz,  however,  put  in 
a  claim  for  a  trifle  of  seven  thousand  pounds,  for  the 
detention  and  loss  they  had  sustained  in  transporting  the 
"  colored  emigrants  "  to  Brazil ;  but  this  demand  I  sin- 
cerely trust  the  English  captain  has  allowed  to  stand 
unpaid  to  this  day. 

With  regard  to   Mag   Surf^  in   consequence    of   the 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARI^^E3.  185 

representations  I  had  made,  a  file  of  soldiers  were  sent 
to  seize  her ;  but  an  officer  who  attended  them  M"as  met 
by  the  Hebrew  proprietor  of  the  establishment,  who, 
with  contused  eyes  and  bruised  limbs,  swore  piteously 
that  the  ungrateful  hag  had  levanted  with  a  secret  hoard 
of  treasure,  which  he  had  carefully  laid  by  to  meet  the 
wants  of  his  declining  years  ;  and  that,  after  smashing 
a  gin  jug  —  her  favorite  missile  —  over  his  head,  he 
had  received  no  further  tidings  of  her. 

It  may  have  been  a  month  that  I  went  on  convales- 
cing, cared  for  by  the  kind  friends  to  whose  house  I  had 
been  carried.  It  was  a  pretty  villa,  perched  on  the 
brink  of  one  of  the  projecting  ridges,  like  a  transverse 
bridge  of  rocks,  which  separated  Botofogo  from  the  sea, 
while  the  majestic  peak  of  the  Gabia,  with  the  declining 
sun,  threw  its  giant  lines  of  shade  well  nigh  across  the 
harbor.  The  land  wind,  with  the  early  day,  stole  down 
the  deeply-riven  gorges  of  the  mountains  at  our  back, 
with  a  cool,  murmuring  freshness,  and  the  sea  breezes, 
when  the  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens,  would  sweep  in 
refreshing  gusts  from  away  over  the  broad,  blue  ocean,  and 
play  a  pleasant  lullaby  to  our  noontide  siesta.  There 
was  a  close  little  grove  of  limes  and  tropical  foliage  be- 
neath the  drawing  room  windows,  and  the  perfume  of 
green  and  golden  fruit  came  gratefully  upon  the  air,  un- 
til the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun  drank  it  up. 

The  hot  season,  however,  was  at  hand  ;  the  fleecy  cap 
of  clouds  hung  around  the  summit  of  the  Sugar  Loaf, 
16* 


186  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

- —  the  barometer  of  the  bay,  —  and  the  rainy  months 
were  fast  approaching.  I  Mas  still  too  feeble  to  be 
taken  on  shipboard,  and  since  the  corvette  was  or- 
dered to  sail  on  a  cruise  to  the  Falkland  Islands,  it  was 
decided  that  I  should  accompany  the  family  with  whom 
I  was  domesticated  to  a  small  coffee  estate  on  a  spur  of 
the  Esmeraldas,  near  the  province  of  San  Paulo. 

Old  Percy  came  one  morning,  with  the  surgeon,  to 
take  leave  of  me.  They  came  provided  with  a  light, 
swinging  cot,  in  which  I  was  to  be  slung  from  a  pole,  on 
the  journey  across  the  serras,  which  had  been  nicely  made 
with  pockets,  and  every  thoughtful  convenience,  by  the 
sailmakers  of  the  ship.  Then  the  doctor  unfolded  a 
gallant  array  of  vials,  containing  liquors  of  every  hue, 
little  packets  of  powders,  and  potions,  and  bandages,  all 
snugly  stowed  in  what  Kit  called  a  small  "  shotecary 
pop  "  of  a  little  medicine  chest.  In  addition  to  these 
necessaries,  they  both  gave  me  the  most  minute  directions 
about  my  conduct,  moral  and  physical,  which,  I  need  not 
tell  you,  I  very  scrupulously  followed. 

I  must  admit,  however,  that  I  was  extremely  sorry 
to  part  with  the  kind  old  captain  and  surgeon ;  but  it  was 
a  trifle  compared  to  the  blow  I  felt  at  being  separated 
from  my  faithful  Kit.  Nothing  could  reconcile  me  to 
that  trial  until  I  was  told  that  the  coquettish  little  bru- 
nette, Antonietta,  was  to  join  our  party,  she  having  re- 
cently arrived  at  Hio  from  school  in  England,  and  was 
waiting  for  a  good  opportunity  of  rejoining  her  parents 
in  Buenos  Ayres. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  187 

"Good  by,  my  boy/'  said  old  Jack,  as  be  warmly 
pressed  my  hand.  "  Do  every  thing  these  kind  ladies  bid 
you,  and  when  you  get  back  to  the  corvette  again,  you 
shall  see  how  the  land  lies  from  the  topsail  yard." 

"  Bress  you,  child,"  spurted  out  Christopher,  with  an 
attempt  at  a  cheerful  chuckle,  as  he  put  his  brawny 
arms  gently  around  me  with  the  tenderness  of  a  kitten. 
"  Say  your  prayers  ebery  night,  and  mind  you  don't  say 
too  sweet  tings  to  dat  little  brown  gal.  O,  so  pritty  !  wid 
dem  big  eyes,  sparkle  so  wid  lub.  De  fac  is,  bes  keep 
clar  ob  de  fuscinations  ob  de  entire  sec.  Lib  and  die 
old  bach'ler,  like  uncle  Kit." 

Then,  with  a  polite  genuflection  to  the  whole  assem- 
bly, and  the  present  of  a  gorgeously-printed  kerchief  for 
the  satin-skinned  young  nurse  who  had  attended  me  dur- 
ing the  fever,  he  jumped  down  the  steep  pathway  to  the 
beach. 

A  few  moments  later  the  white-headed  old  command- 
er raised  his  cap  in  salutation,  as  he  took  the  yoke 
ropes.  Dolphin  was  at  his  seat  on  the  after  thawt,  and 
with  an  upward  toss  of  his  hand,  —  the  sailor's  parting, 
—  he  gave  a  signal  to  the  boat's  crew.  The  long  blades 
fell  with  a  simultaneous  splash  upon  the  water,  and  then, 
with  a  regular  movement  to  catch  the  stroke,  the  oars 
dipped  together  in  the  limpid  surface  of  the  cove,  the 
boat  shot  like  a  spear  around  the  rocky  point,  and  leav- 
ing only  the  bubbling  eddies  in  her  wake,  was  hidden 
from  view.     An  hour  later  the  Juniata  was  dressed  in  a 


188  TALE3    FO:i    TII7.    MAHIZsEg. 

full  suit  of  snow-white  canvas  toCTErery.  AYitli  a  stiff 
sea  breeze  she  tacked  close  in  shore,  stretched  away  to 
Santa  Cruz,  and  then  working  swiftly  through  the  nar- 
row funnel  of  the  bay,  she  passed  Eaza  and  Round 
Islands,  and  held  her  wind  to  the  southward. 

That  evening  I  was  sitting  sadly  enough  within  the 
dusky  shadows  of  one  of  the  deep,  veranda-like  embra- 
sures of  the  saloon,  thinking  of  the  checkered  life  tliat 
even  my  own  brief  boyhood  had  seen,  and  watching  the 
bright  planets  and  stars,  as  they  one  by  one  grew  pale 
and  dim  before  the  silvery  light  of  the  round,  demure 
moon,  as  she  rose  so  coyly  above  the  eastern  heights, 
while  the  measured  "  shale  "  of  the  waves  lipped,  with 
a  low,  harmonious  sound,  upon  the  shingly  beach,  and 
the  mimic  breakers  rippled  musically  upon  the  ledge  be- 
neath my  window,  and  all  soothed  me  with  their  beauty 
and  cadence. 

Presently  the  water  of  the  quiet  nook  was  disturbed 
by  a  light  gig  which  skimmed  buoyantly  toAvards  the 
landing. 

"  Toss  !  "  I  heard  an  order  given  in  a  low  tone  ;  the 
oars  rose  at  the  next  stroke,  a  slight  rattle  followed  as 
they  were  laid  together  in  the  boat,  and  the  gig  glided 
silently  to  the  smooth,  rocky  landing. 

*^ Ah,  ha !"  thought  I  ;  "here  comes  the  handsome 
officer  ,•  and  he  sails,  too,  on  the  morrow,  for  merry 
England ;  but  he  has  looked  any  thing  but  merry 
liimself  of  late."     Then  I  wondered  what  had  become 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  189 

of  my  tall  angel,  Mary,  during  the  afternoon,  but  be- 
thought me  that  she  had  been  serious  and  penserosa 
all  the  day. 

I  did  not  leave  my  place,  however ;  and  by  and  by 
I  saw  the  glitter  of  a  pair  of  swabs  upon  the  shoulders 
of  a  navy  coat  appear  upon  the  retired  esplanade,  and  a 
moment  after  there  emerged  a  fluttering  white  dress  from 
the  portico,  and  joining  the  blue  coat,  both  slowly  wan- 
dered on  beneath  the  grove.  Attentively  I  watched  the 
pair  as  they  paced  for  a  long  time  within  the  shade  of 
the  motionless  foliage,  now  lost  to  my  sight  as  they  went 
deeper  into  the  wood,  but  anon  emerging  from  the  masks 
of  the  silent  trunks  of  the  palms  and  cassias,  which 
seemed  of  themselves  to  be  listening  to  the  sweet  whis- 
perings of  the  lovers  protected  by  their  leafy  arms. 

At  length  the  couple  paused  at  the  little  circular  space 
paved  with  white  pebbles  near  to  the  tank,  and  while 
the  water  from  the  pygmy  cane  aqueduct  fell  drop  by 
drop,  with  a  liquid  sound,  into  the  pool,  I  caught  a  few 
detached  sentences,  only  broken  by  low,  faint  sobs. 

"  I  shall  be  constant,  Philip  ;  your  fate  is  mine." 

It  struck  me,  in  the  dim  light,  there  was  a  darker 
and  broader  belt  around  my  tall  angel's  waist  than  the 
rose-colored  ribbon  usually  there,  and  one  of  the  epau- 
lets on  the  navy  coat  was  altogether  obscured  by  a 
gracefully-shaped  head  and  floods  of  chestnut  tresses  ; 
but  I  attributed  both  phenomena  to  natural  causes. 

There  was  another  succession  of  sufibcating  sobs,  and 


190  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

tKen  a  rapid  torrent  of  eloquent  oaths^  ending  with,  "  Ma- 
ry, love,  my  very  soul  will  be  with  you  during  our  sep- 
aration, and,  come  what  may,  I  shall  claim  you  for  my 
wife  before  three  years  have  gone  by."  "  Dearest  Philip." 
There  was  yet  another  dark  blue  belt  clasped  around  the 
tall  angel's  white  frock,  the  gleaming  bullion  was  no  longer 
obscured,  but  as  he  kneeled  at  her  feet,  she  inclined  her 
beautiful  head,  and  pressed  her  lips  to  his  forehead. 
'*  Heaven  protect  you,  Philip,"  she  murmured,  as  if  her 
warm  heart  was  breaking,  while  a  little  shower  of  liquid 
emeralds  fell  from  amid  the  glossy  curls  upon  the  up- 
turned face,  the  baptism  of  their  troth  ;  and 

"  What,  green  tears,  Master  Harry  !  "  inquired  Fred's 
grandmother. 

Yes,  ma'am,  she  was  an  Irish  girl.  The  next  in- 
stant the  epaulets  sprang  with  a  bound  down  the  rocky 
path,  the  gig  pushed  off,  and  when  nothing  was  visible 
but  the  silver  line  of  sparkling  ripples  which  marked 
her  course  on  the  calm  water  of  the  cove,  both  maid  and 
lover  had  vanished  from  my  sight. 

Fred,  said  the  Lieutenant,  as  he  removed  the  cigar 
from  its  natural  resting-place,  and  carefully  rerolled  the 
outer  skin,  you  wouldn't  perhaps  believe  it,  but  I've 
been  in  love  several  times  myself,  in  the  course  of  the 
past  thirty  years,  and  what  is  remarkable,  never  had  the 
least  inclination  to  get  spliced  until 

''  Tell  that  to  the  marines,"  exclaimed  the  youthful 
matron  standing   before  the   fire,  as   she   held    up  the 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  191 

sweetest  little  dumpling  of  an  admiral  in  diaper  ever 
seen,  and  at  tlie  same  time  took  the  liberty  of  plunging 
the  soft,  cooing  little  "  cherrybub,"  as  Kit  called  him, 
close  to  the  Lieutenant's  face,  where  he  made  a  playful 
clutch  at  that  gentleman's  whiskers,  causing  excruciating 
pain  and  mental  anguish  to  the  Lieutenant  in  thus  being 
interrupted  in  an  exciting  incident  of  his  narrative. 

He  resumed,  however,  with.  Well,  ladies,  it  was  my 
luck  to  dance  at  the  wedding  of  that  handsome  British- 
er ;  and  as  Cupid's  my  judge,  he  is  the  author  of  a  nu- 
merous progeny,  and  fell  afterwards  in  a  duello,  for  be- 
ing too  attentive  to  another  man's  wife. 

The  following  day,  before  Aurora  had 

"  raised  her  head 
Above  the  waves,  and  left  her  watery  bed/' 

we  had  been  stirring  an  hour  ;  and  while  the  palms 
beoran  to  crackle  in  the  first  current  of  the  land  wind, 
the  villa  was  all  in  commotion,  and  mules  ready  capari- 
soned at  the  gates. 

We  made  eight  in  the  party  -—  three  ladies,  the  padron, 
his  son,  the  comprador  of  the  plantation,  a  man  with 
a  double  barrelled  gun,  and  least  of  all,  myself.  I  don't 
include  the  negro  attendants  or  the  small  jackass  upon 
which  my  little  ebony  wench  was  perched,  for  in.  Brazil 
neither  are  regarded  as  human  beings.  My  cot  had 
been  sent  forward  with  the  spare  beasts  the  night  previ- 
ous, and  at  the  outset  I  was  placed  on  a  large,  soft,  com- 


192  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

fortable,  cliair-like  side  saddle,  on  a  fat,  sedate  old  mule, 
who  ambled  evenly  over  the  ground,  with  the  grace  and 
soberness  of  a  bishop. 

When  all  was  ready,  the  ladies,  in  brown  linen  rig  and 
sun  bonnets,  comfortably  stowed  on  their  beasts,  the  pa- 
dron  put  his  undressed  skin  boots  into  the  stirrup  of  his 
barb,  and  swinging  his  portly  bulk  into  the  saddle, 
and  his  enormous  wide-brimmed  hat  around  his  head, 
shouted  "  A-congo  /  "  as  a  signal  for  the  blacks  to  start. 
Away  they  moved  at  a  round  trot,  with  earthen  cala- 
bashes, or  jars,  on  their  heads,  keeping  time  during  the 
journey  with  a  low,  monotonous  chant,  interspersed 
with,  at  long  intervals,  a  detached  shriek.  Our  part  of 
the  procession  then  fell  into  line  astern  of  the  padron, 
w^hile  the  man  with  the  fowling  piece  closed  up  the  rear. 

Leaving  the  picturesque  shores  of  the  bay,  and  losing 
sight  of  the  magnificent  panorama,  we  turned  for  a  few 
miles  into  the  main  road  by  the  royal  gardens,  when 
branching  off  over  the  spurs  of  the  radiating  hills,  on 
the  sea  side  of  the  mountain  flanks,  we  continued  on,  in 
the  cool  freshness  of  the  morning,  at  a  good  round  pace. 

Towards  ten  o'clock  the  sun  became  too  powerful  to 
proceed  with  comfort,  and  a  halt  was  cried,  on  a  little 
grassy  bit  of  table  land,  which  seemed  to  have  been  chis- 
elled from  the  brow  of  a  ridge.  There,  beneath  the  deep 
shade  of  the  noble  timber  and  its  trembling  leaves,  the 
breakfist  was  spread  upon  a  carpeting  of  banana  leaves, 
and  we  made  our  m_eal.     I  don't  know  why  it  was,  but  we 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  193 

-were  all  tiiste  and  taciturn.  I  had  nothing  in  particular 
to  dash  my  own  spirits,  for  I  was  rapidly  gaining  health 
and  strength,  besides  being  associated  with  as  charming 
a  trio  of  ladies  (each  in  her  peculiar  vocation)  as  ever 
broke  bread  ;  and  the  padron  was  one  of  the  jolliest 
gentlemen,  turned  of  fifty,  you  would  desire,  when 
thirsty,  to  drink  with  ;  but  yet  there  was  some  spell 
wh;ch  had  come  over  us  all.  The  matron  was  thousrht- 
ful,  and  papa  a  shade  serious,  while  the  little  Spanish 
brunette  was  in  a  brown  pout,  and  my  tall  angel  left  her 
cold  chicken  untasted,  sipped  a  thimble  full  of  chocolate, 
and  allowed  her  lovely  eyes  to  wander  inquisitively  out 
upon  the  distant  ocean,  where  here  and  there  some  list- 
less bark  showed  her  white  sails  upon  the  calm  sea. 

The  negroes,  however,  were  not  infected  with  the 
mental  gloom  of  their  superiors.  They  were  in  ecstasies 
of  spirits,  seated  a  score  or  two  of  yards  below  us,  on 
the  verdant  knoll,  chattering,  jabbering,  laughing,  and 
sucking  their  smashed-yam-bedabbled  fingers,  with  all 
the  enjoyment  in  the  world. 

Finding  that  even  Antonietta  wouldn't  open  her 
pretty  mouth,  nor  the  padron  either,  save  to  insert  a 
fresh  cigar,  I  laid  me  down  in  my  cot,  which  had  been 
suspended  betw^een  the  trees,  and  was  soon  siestaing 
away  like  a  dormouse. 

It  vras  evening  before  I  was  aroused  from  slumber, 
and  then  by  the  jolly  padron,  who,  unclosing  the  cur- 
tains at  the  ridgepole  of  the  cot,  looked  in  upon  me, 
17 


194  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

and  shouted,  "  Ilillo  !  you  wee  villain,  are  you  never 
going  to  wake  ?  Why,  we  are  near  old  Joao  Porgallos's, 
where  we  pass  the  night." 

I  then  discovered  that,  without  disturbing  my  repose, 
the  careful  blacks  had  raised  me  on  their  shoulders,  when 
the  hour  came  for  moving,  and  with  the  cool  flutter  of  the 
sea  breeze,  and  the  gentle  vibrations  of  the  couch,  I  had 
been  borne  a  long  way  up  the  sides  of  the  mountains, 
and  rocked  the  sounder  to  sleep  by  the  motion. 

We  had  now  gained  a  broad,  sloping  gorge,  clothed 
with  the  richest  and  most  luxuriant  vegetation.  The 
shades  of  the  departing  sun  fell  in  transverse  lines 
across  the  valley,  the  atmosphere  had  become  sensibly 
cooler,  the  flocks  of  paroquets  were  twittering  their 
vesper  hymns.  As  I  mounted  my  trusty  mule,  and 
edged  my  way  to  my  place  in  the  cavalcade,  the  ladies 
were  carolling  forth  airs  from  the  newest  operas,  the 
padron  was  pealing  out  a  stave  which  made  the  sur- 
rounding hills  echo  with  good  humor,  and  we  all  ap- 
peared, as  indeed  we  were,  as  blithe  and  free  from  care 
as  crickets. 

An  hour  later,  we  crossed  a  broad  belt  of  the  Serra, 
and  descending  a  mile  on  the  other  side,  descried  a  little 
cluster  of  red- washed  buildings  ;  a  bit  of  a  spire  from  a 
chapel  rose  in  the  midst,  M'ith  gardens,  and  coffee  and 
banana  trees  around.  Presently  a  multitude  of  dogs 
barked  melodiously,  while  the  little  bell  of  the  chapel 
tinkled  a  chorus,  and  trotting  through  a  wide  gateway. 


TAI-E3    FOR    THE    MARINES.  195 

we  dismounted  witliin   tlie   walls  of   the  habitation  of 
Dom  Joao  Porgallos. 

We  were  at  once  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  servants 
and  pleasant  people,  in  huge  straw  hats,  with  Dom  Joao 
at  their  head.  The  dom  looked  a  Portuguese  prototype 
of  an  English  Bill.  He  had  a  full  face,  with  a  roly- 
poly  figure,  fat,  short,  little  pillows  of  hands,  and  a  good- 
humored  appearance  all  round.  He  did  notliing  but 
take  off  and  put  on  his  palm  leaf  sombrero  for  twenty 
minutes  after  our  arrival ;  bowing  repeatedly,  and  as 
gracefully  the  while,  as  the  solid  corporation  enclosed 
within  his  comfortable  white  jacket  and  loose  trousers 
would  admit  ;  but  he  never  spoke  a  word,  though  he 
laughed  continually.  I  noticed  him  at  intervals  ex- 
changing winks  with  the  padron,  and  secretly  telegraph- 
ing, with  a  crook  to  his  little  finger,  and  his  mouth  open 
like  a  young  robin  :  but  again  he  would  return  to  his 
courteous  salutations,  and  bow  and  smile  repeatedly  to 
us  all,  as  before. 

There  was  a  court  yard  in  front  of  the  main  build- 
ing, where  stood  the  little  chapel,  with  its  iron  grille  of  a 
door  worked  in  form  of  a  cross,  with  the  letters  I.  H.  S. 
above  and  the  year  below.  Within  we  could  see  tall  gilt 
candlesticks,  standing  behind  the  altar,  and  queer  little 
votive  offerings,  strung  around  the  image  of  the  virgin ; 
while  just  inside  the  gateway,  fastened  against  the  rude 
wall,  was  a  polished  bowl  for  holy  water,  scooped  out 
of  a  beautiful  piece  of  Brazil  mahogany. 


196  TALES    FOK    THE    MARINES. 

A  long  line  of  slaves,  with  each  a  broad,  flat  basket 
of  coffee  in  the  pod  on  their  heads,  were  waiting  in 
turn  to  exhibit  to  the  overseers  the  result  of  their  la- 
bors ;  which,  after  being  measured  and  noted,  was  either 
again  to  be  taken  to  dry,  on  the  fiat-rimmed  rocks  on 
the  hill  sides,  or  carried  to  the  magazines  within.  The 
head  man,  too,  of  each  gang  of  ten  or  twelve  slaves 
stood  by,  and  struck  the  pavement  with  a  stick,  as  the 
baskets  were  emptied  of  their  green  or  blackened  bur- 
dens. When  the  account  was  correct,  he  received  the 
ration  of  coarse  farina,  and  a  bit  of  jerked  beef  or  fish, 
for  his  colored  troop,  when,  with  a  powerful  grunt,  as  a 
signal  to  his  friends,  accompanied  by  smart  raps  of  the 
stick  over  their  naked  shoulders,  they  moved  on. 

The  work  of  the  compradors,  however,  was  soon 
despatched ;  and  when  a  huge,  jingling  mass  of  keys  — 
each  of  them  nearly  as  big  as  a  holster  pistol  —  had 
been  handed  to  the  obsequious  Senhor  Porgallos,  we 
entered  the  house.  The  ladies  had  preceded  us,  and 
passing  through  a  wide  hall  to  the  sala  beyond,  we 
rejoined  them  ;  and  supper  being  soon  announced,  we 
all  took  our  places. 

There  was  an  enormous  platter,  to  begin  with,  of  an 
olha, — bits  of  meat,  fish,  and  sausages,  stuck  round  with 
okra,  peppers,  rice,  and  delicious  vegetables  of  all  sorts. 
Then  followed  a  long,  pointed-nosed  fish,  fresh  from  the 
mountain  stream,  broiled  brown  as  a  nut,  and  swaddled  in  a 
broad,  green  bed  of  guava  leaves.    Afterwards  came  a  pig. 


TALE3    FOR   THE    MAR1^'ES.  197 

. —  quite  a  diminutiYe  porker,  —  sitting,  ready  roasted,  on 
the  tip  of  his  tail,  with  his  fore  feet  up  in  the  air,  resting 
against  a  great  bunch  of  crisped  plantains.  Then,  be- 
sides, there  was  game,  —  a  dish  of  parrots,  —  and  finally 
a  confectionery  cathedral,  tented  over  by  a  gauze  veil  of 
glistening  sugar,  with  fruits,  preserves,  and  sweetmeats 
without  end. 

It  was  a  capital  supper,  I  assure  you,  and  I  felt  very 
much  inclined  to  fall  to  in  a  regular  series  of  attacks 
upon  the  entire  spread  of  viands  before  me.  I  had 
already  seized  a  dish  of  the  podrida,  with  a  section  of 
sausage  the  size  of  a  five-inch  hawser,  when  one  of  my 
fair  companions  beside  me  exclaimed,  with  her  own 
beautiful  mouth  full  of  guava,  — 

"  Why,  Enrique,  are  you  crazy  ?  " 

"  No,  only  hungry  !  "  I  replied  ;  but  my  appeal  had 
no  effect,  for  it  was,  "  Here,  Jilla,  take  away  his  plate ; 
bring  the  drops  first,  and  then  a  little  broth." 

Lord  !  that  was  enough  :  the  very  name  of  "  drops  " 
entirely  destroyed  my  appetite,  and  I  merely  sat  listlessly 
in  my  wicker  chair,  sipping  a  bowl  of  thin  barley  gruel, 
and  observing  the  famished  padron  and  Dom  JodO  go- 
ing through  course  after  course,  washed  down  by  a  gur- 
gling rush  of  old  port,  that  seemed  to  make  their  rubi- 
cund noses  fairly  weep  over  the  precious  perfume. 

"  Ah,  amigo,''  said  the  padron,  smacking  his  lips, 
while  the  dessert  was  laid  on  the  table,  "  we  remember 
this  wine,  the  same  we  had  at  the  grand  feast  where  the 


198  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

archbishop  got  so  boosy  on  winning  the  wager,  and  gave 
you  the  black  diamond  for  assisting  him." 

Here  the  unctuous  host  held  up  his  middle  finger  to 
the  ladies,  and  exhibited  a  large  brilliant,  as  big  as  a 
hazel  nut,  and  nearly  black ;  though,  at  the  same  time, 
it  sparkled  in  orange  and  purple  flames,  with  the  most 
wonderful  effect.  I  learned,  too,  that  it  was,  at  that 
period,  the  only  one  of  its  tint  known  in  Brazil. 

"  What  a  treasure  !  "  said  the  handsome  matron,  with 
a  deep  sigh.  "  Did  any  one  ever  behold  such  an  un- 
earthly gem  I  " 

"  Qwe  hrilliantc  !  "  exclaimed  little  Antonietta,  as 
the  light  from  her  own  twinkling  peepers  appeared  to 
reflect  a  ray  from  the  jewel.  "  But  how  did  the  senhor 
become  possessed  of  it  ?  "  said  they  all. 

The  round  Dom  Joao  put  out  his  dexter  soft,  fat  flip- 
per, with  his  capacious  wine  glass,  and  swallowed  three 
fillings  of  the  tipple,  as  fast  as  the  obliging  padron  could 
pour  them  out  of  a  dusty  bottle  ;  then  he  laughed,  un- 
til tears  —  they  looked  like  drops  of  port  —  stood  in 
his  little  black  eyes  ;  but  he  said  nothing,  only  shook 
his  head,  and  glanced  towards  the  padi'on. 

"  Well,  ladies,"  began  the  latter  personage,  while  he 
allowed  his  friend  to  undergo  the  same  labor  with  a  fresh 
bottle,  that  he  himself  had  performed  a  moment  before, 
"  I'll  tell  you  about  that  affair ;  for  our  host  here,  as 
you  know,  is  not  particularly  glib  at  a  story,  and  I'll  do 
it  in  a  few  words  for  him. 


TALE3    FOR    THE    MAEIXES.  199 

"  You  must  be  aware,  that  before  you  people  came  out 
to  Brazil,  —  in  fact,  before  the  capital  was  changed  to  Rio, 
• — a  number  of  the  influential  persons  of  the  country, 
myself  and  friend  Porgallos  here,  among  the  rest,  made  a 
visit  to  Bahia  to  discuss  topics  which  had  for  us  all  a  pe- 
culiar interest,  —  or,  in  other  words,  to  concoct  a  compre- 
hensive scheme  of  revolution,  —  so  as,  under  a  new  form 
of  government,  to  develop,  if  possible,  the  agricultural 
resources  of  the  empire.  I  don't,  however,  know  how 
long  we  were  occupied  in  those  pursuits ;  but  I  do  re- 
member that  we  had  a  very  estimable  set  of  fellows 
there  from  Portugal,  commanded  by  a  general,  Madeira 
de  ]Mello,  who,  perhaps  in  virtue  of  his  name,  could 
outdrink  every  mother's  son  of  us,  and  all  his  Portu- 
guese brigade  to  boot.  There  were,  nevertheless,  some 
very  tough  customers  in  Bahia  at  the  time,  one  a  Yankee 
commodore,  in  a  smashing  great  frigate,  who  was  the 
very  twin  in  crood  looks  and  animal  structure  to  Joao 
here  at  my  elbow.  He  not  only  had  taste  and  capacity, 
but  a  smell  for  wine,  —  owing,  of  course,  to  unexampled 
experience  in  that  line,  —  that  no  one  could  deceive,  or 
upset,  not  even  our  friend,  the  venerable  archbishop  of 
the  province,  who  was,  by  long  odds,  the  ooziest  ab- 
sorbent I  ever  met  with.  Between  these  three  gentle- 
men there  existed  a  generous  rivalry,  although  neither 
had  as  yet  gained  any  advantage  of  the  other.  AVell, 
in  a  round  of  excellent  dinners,  both  afloat  and  on  shore, 
a  large  party  of  us  were  once  congregated  at  the  board 


200  TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

of  our  kind  bishop  in  the  refectory  of  the  old  convent 
in  the  city ;  and  when  the  fruit  had  been  taken  away 
and  the  fine  wines  produced,  there  arose,  as  usual,  some 
pleasant  dispute  relative  to  the  age,  properties,  color, 
strength,  and  so  forth,  of  high  wines.  The  general 
hereupon  indulged  us  with  an  agreeable  lecture  on  all 
sorts  of  liquors,  brewed,  distilled,  or  fermented,  from 
beer  to  arrack  ;  told  us  that  all  wines  took  their  color 
from  the  husk  of  the  grape ;  that  certain  juices  deterio- 
rated after  a  certain  time,  certain  age,  and  climate ;  but 
concluded  by  declaring  it  to  be  his  firm  belief  that  the 
mouth  was  the  only  true  crucible  to  test  wine  in. 

"  In  this  the  experienced  bishop  coincided  wholly  ;  but 
the  old  salt  water  veteran  instantly  filed  a  demurrer,  and 
swore  with  a  dreadful  imprecation,  that  the  nose  was  tlie 
only  philosophical  organ  for  a  refined  judge  to  decide 
by,  on  the  quality  of  liquids  which  were  intended  to  be 
poured  down  one's  throat.  The  commodore  also  boldly 
offered  to  back  his  opinion  in  the  throats  of  all,  — 
Mello,  the  prelate,  and  the  Portuguese  brigade  to 
boot  —  with  a  rare  pipe  of  sherry,  that  had  been  ever  so 
many  times  round  the  world,  —  in  flict,  it  had  been  his 
travelling  companion  since  his  boyhood  about  the  ocean, 
—  that,  blindfolded,  no  one  could  deceive  him  in  the 
smell  of  wine. 

"  There  was  a  minute's  silence  ;  the  sailor  glared  round 
fiercely  and  exultingly,  while  the  general  smiled  sar- 
donically, with  a  slight  bow  to  the  archbishop,  as  if  he 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  201 

■would  himself  be  glad  of  the  chance  of  taking  up  the 
bet,  but  that  it  would  not  be  exactly  right  to  defraud 
our  host  out  of  the  sherry.  Well,  as  the  commodore 
reiterated  his  taunt,  there  could  be,  of  course,  no  other 
plan  to  pursue,  than  for  the  archbishop,  at  his  own  table 
too,  to  accept  the  wager. 

"  Since,  however,  the  prelate  could  not  boast,  amid  his 
stock  of  wines,  of  an  equivalent  in  sherry  to  match  the 
famous  pipe  of  the  commodore,  it  was  decided  that  he 
should  stake  a  couple  of  hogsheads  of  madeira,  which 
were  understood  to  have  been  sent  out  as  a  royal  gift  to 
the  emperor.  The  vessel  which  brought  it  had  been 
wrecked  somewhere  on  the  coast,  and  by  some  unac- 
countable fatality,  the  casks  had  floated  on  shore  into  the 
cellars  of  the  archbishop's  palace,  where  they  had  scarce- 
ly as  yet  been  broached. 

"  The  conditions  were,  that  thirteen  wines  in  glasses 
should  be  placed  upon  the  table,  which  the  commodore 
had  the  privilege  of  smelling  as  long  as  he  liked,  and 
he  was  to  have  one  chance  out  of  thirteen.  Xow,  I  felt 
concerned  for  the  risk  the  bishop  was  about  to  run,  for 
I  knew  that  the  sailor's  olfactories  were  infallible,  and 
our  host  was,  I  imagine,  of  a  like  opinion,  for,  aside 
from  the  wine  he  had  absorbed,  he  looked  blue. 

"  Porgallos,  as  you  know,  the  nephew  of  that  prelate, 
was  deputed  to  bandage  the  commodore's  eyes,  and 
present  the  samples  before  him.  JSTow,  we  had  all  been 
quaffing  previous  to  this  from  a  bottle  of  port  that  had 


202  TALES    FOll   THE    M Allies' ES. 

been  drawn  off  in  glass,  when  the  archbishop's  grand- 
father was  laid  down  under  ground  in  wood,  nigh  upon 
a  century  before.  It  had  lost  its  color,  and  was  of  a  pale 
auburn,  but,  nevertheless,  the  bouquet  was  as  strong  as 
musk. 

"  By  some  legerdemain,  Joao  got  hold  of  the  cork  and 
placed  it  snugly  up  his  sleeve.  Meanwhile  a  napkin 
had  been  carefully  passed  over  the  old  commander's 
eyes,  a  great  battalion  of  glasses  ranged  silently  on  the 
board,  and  not  a  word  was  uttered. 

"  As  my  friend,  Porgallos,  raised  the  brimming  goblets 
one  after  the  other,  I  saw  by  the  roguish  twinkle  of  his 
eyes  that  some  deviltry  was  going  on;  but  I  was  not 
then  in  the  plot,  and,  being  directed  to  put  the  ques- 
tions, I  began  with,  '  Now,  commodore,  number  one.' 
The  glass  was  lifted  up  carefully  to  his  carbuncled  nose. 
A  single  sniff,  and  he  replied  with  great  decision, 
'Port.'  The  glass  was  marked  with  a  bit  of  paper 
and  set  aside.  Up  went  number  two.  Another  deep 
sniff — 'Canary.'  And  so  he  went  on,  quite  correctly, 
without  the  slightest  hesitation,  to  Cape,  Sicily,  Cata- 
lan, Burgundy,  Malmsey,  Tinta,  Madeira,  and  so  forth, 
until  there  were  but  two  specimens  left.  The  worthy 
bishop's  eyes  turned  green,  for  there  was  no  madeira, 
he  knew  as  an  absolute  fact,  in  the  whole  kingdom,  like 
the  casks  contained  in  his  cellars ;  so  you  may  conceive 
what  a  severe  trial  it  must  have  been  to  him,  as,  being  a 
point  of  honor,  there  was  no  escape. 


TALES    FOU    THE    MARINES.  203 

"There  were,  as  I  told  you,  but  two  wines  left  un- 
smelled,  and  they  were  some  trash  of  light  French  grape, 
that  a  Dutchman  might  have  detected  at  a  glance.  On 
this  occasion,  however,  Joao  changed  hands,  and  thus 
held  the  sleeve  which  concealed  the  redolent  cork  to  the 
nostril  of  the  smiling  and  triumphant  smeller. 

"  It  was  an  awful  moment,  but  after  a  deep  respiration, 
he  shouted,  '  Oporto ! '  There  was  a  general  murmur 
of  surprise,  that  any  one  coidd  possibly  have  made  such 
a  mistake.  I,  too,  was  deluded,  and  thought  he  was 
either  drunk  or  dreaming ;  but  as,  in  my  acquaintance 
with  him,  I  had  always  seen  him  sober  as  a  church,  and 
firmly  believed  that  he  had  not  been  asleep  for  twenty 
years,  as  he  drank  all  day  and  played  cards  all  night, 
I  could  not  reasonablv  account  for  the  blunder. 

"  However,  there  was  still  another  chance,  and  although 
the  venerable  host  was  encouraged,  yet  his  face  still  re- 
mained sad  and  dubious. 

"  *  Here  we  go,  senhores,  —  the  last,  number  thirteen.' 
Steadily  the  slim  crystal  with  its  contents  was  elevated 
to  the  discriminating  member.  '  Xearer,'  said  the 
commodore,  as  he  inhaled  at  first  a  gentle  air.  The 
glass  neajly  touched  his  inflamed  nose,  bringing  it  in 
toe  closest  contact  vvith  Joao's  coat  sleeve,  when,  with  a 
long-drawn  and  decided  snifi",  he  roared  out,  ^  Port 
again,  by  thunder.' 

"  As  he  tore  away  the  bandage  from  his  eyes,  he  -.vas 
greeted   by   the   rosy   visage  of  the  archbishop,   smihug 


204  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

with  rapture  over  Porgallos's  shoulder,  as  he  ch\sped 
him  to  his  clerical  bosom  and  wept  with  joy. 

"  Porgallos  has  since  given  me  to  understand,  that  as  a 
reward  for  his  services,  his  uncle  presented  him  that 
wonderfid  diamond  now  on  his  finger,  wliich  had  been 
left  to  the  church  to  atone  for  the  sins  of  his  grandmother. 
Of  those  events  I  can't  speak  with  certainty :  I  only 
know  that,  the  following  day,  an  order  came  for  a  gross 
of  this  iiimous  port,  which  I  am  delighted  to  find  has 
not  lost  its  flavor.  As  for  the  commodore,  when  the 
loss  of  his  sherry,  the  dearest  prop  of  his  existence,  had 
been  announced  to  him,  he  howled  and  swore  like  an 
infidel,  and  woidd  actually  have  committed  suicide,  or 
cut  off  his  treacherous  proboscis,  had  he  not  been  pre- 
vented by  the  company. 

"  He  sent  the  pipe  on  shore  the  next  morning,  and 
sailed  away  the  same  night ;  and  as  he  died  soon  after- 
wards, it  must  have  been  of  a  broken  heart." 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  reminiscence  the  ladies  re- 
tired, and  Jilla  twitched  me  away  by  the  arm  to  my  own 
couch,  leaving  the  pair  of  cronies  over  their  potations, 
where,  by  the  way,  we  found  them  at  daylight  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  when  we  were  again  ready  to  move. 

Dom  Joao  was  as  smiling  as  ever,  though  rather  bleary 
about  the  optics,  assisting  every  body,  bowing,  taking  off 
his  straw  hat,  busy,  polite,  attentive,  and  agreeable  as 
posolb^.e.  Shaking  us  all  by  the  hands,  several  times 
apiece,  with  a  warmer  embrace  to  the  padron,  and  a  nod 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  205 

of  assent  by  way  of  promise  to  return  our  visit  at  the 
estate  of  his  friend  before  the  close  of  the  season,  the  sisr- 
nal  for  departure  was  given,  and  the  blacks  trotted  down 
the  path,  keeping  time  to  their  unvarying  chants,  while 
we  followed  in  their  wake. 

"  Yery  pleasant  person,  Senhor  Porgallos,"  I  re- 
marked to  the  drowsy  padron  during  the  ride,  ^^  but 
rather  taciturn,  I  thought ;  he  talks  very  little." 

"  Talk  !  "  ejaculated  my  companion  ;  "  "^^hy,  you  in- 
nocent skillykeedee,  he's  deaf  and  dumb,  though  he 
understands  every  thing  you  say,  and  more  too,  by  the 
movement  of  the  lips  and  expression  of  the  face ;  and, 
by  Bacchus,  what  does  a  man  need  a  tongue  for,  ex- 
cept to  taste  such  wine  as  that  ?  " 

The  ladies,  however,  seemed  to  think,  that  since  na- 
ture had  presented  him  with  so  brilliant  a  nose,  he  might 
be  willing  to  part  with  the  diamond,  and  that  it  would 
be  a  great  blessing  if  he  could  talk  more  and  drink  less. 

We  passed  the  morning,  winding  up  and  down  the 
acclivities,  until,  by  the  side  of  a  turbulent  watercourse, 
we  halted  for  breakfiist  and  sleep.  Then  on  we  went 
beneath  the  dense  shade,  and  at  night,  on  a  wide  sertao, 
held  bridles  at  the  village  of  Lorena.  Here,  too,  we 
were  hospitably  cared  for,  and  there  being  no  store  of 
old  port  in  that  vicinity,  the  padron  devoted  his  leisure 
to  repose.  Two  days  longer  we  pursued  our  journey, 
■until  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  day  from  Rio,  from  the 
elevated  plateau  of  the  Serra,  the  kind  matron  and  her 
18 


206  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

lovely  daughter  leaned  over  my  cot,  and  in  a  cheerful 
tone  said, — 

"  Come,  you  lazy  invalid,  we  are  nearly  at  home 
now  ;  look  out  upon  Pinchao." 

It  was,  indeed,  a  look  that  I  shall  never  forget.  We 
were  standing  on  an  abrupt  shoulder  of  the  San  Sebastin 
Mountains,  and  beneath  us  lay  a  broad  bridge  of  land, 
like  a  saddle,  to  the  heavy  flanks  of  the  opposite  range. 
Away  to  the  north  trended  a  wide  and  beautiful  valley, 
spreading  wider  and  wider  at  the  base,  threaded  by 
white  streams  of  foaming  water,  until  they  all  plunged 
into  a  rapid  river,  which  wandered  tortuously  about  the 
fertile  plains  below,  and  then  disappeared  between  the 
walls  of  the  distant  chain  of  serras.  To  the  south,  the 
land  sloped  more  sharply  towards  the  ocean,  which  was 
just  perceptible  many  leagues  off,  with  a  dim  blue  haze 
above,  and  the  indistinct  outlines  of  islands  near  the 
coast. 

The  noble  timber  and  masrnificent  ves^etation  were 
waving  and  bending,  and  changing  color  in  all  shades  of 
green,  as  the  full  strength  of  the  sea  breeze  swept  over 
their  lofty  tops  and  branches,  and  then  came  roaring  up 
the  hills  to  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  when,  plunging 
down  inland  on  the  other  side,  with  a  breezy,  rustling 
flutter,  it  flew  in  among  the  rich  plantations  of  coffee 
and  indigo  on  the  slopes,  and  expended  its  force  among 
the  crackling  palms  and  sugar  canes  of  the  river's 
banks. 


TALES    FOil    THE    MARINES.  207 

Before  us,  at  the  farthest  extremity  of  the  saddle,  lay 
embowered  amid  the  foliage  a  large  cluster  of  houses, 
—  quite  a  hamlet  of  itself,  —  with  long  sheds  and  out- 
buildings, and  a  little  chapel  rising  in  the  midst,  with 
its  gilt  cross  above,  tipped  with  flame  from  a  ray  of  the 
setting  sun.  The  entire  cluster  was  gayly  frescoed,  and 
the  predominant  tints  of  orange  and  pink  contrasted 
prettily  with  the  intensely  green  verdure  around.  NccU'er 
to  us  was  a  thick  grove  of  cassia,  vanilla,  cinnamon, 
and  brazil  wood,  which  we  presently  entered.  There 
was  no  lesser  vegetation,  and  we  moved  briskly  along 
beneath  the  light  and  graceful  folds  of  the  filmy,  feath- 
ery branches,  which  hung  like  masses  of  lace  above  our 
heads,  intermixed  with  great,  glossy,  fleshy  leaves  of  the 
siphonia  elastica,  or  Indian  rubber  tree,  and  here  and 
there  enormous  clusters  of  cocoas,  all  bound  together, 
twined  in  loops  and  links  of  the  richest  white  and  crim- 
son lianas,  while  the  light  from  the  parting  sun  was  cast 
in  golden  bars  athwart  the  giant  trunks,  below  the  green 
and  living  roof.  I  began  to  fancy  that  T  was  wandering 
in  enchanted  realms,  or  beholding  a  beautiful  scene  at 
the  theatre,  and  not  trotting  amidst  the  gorgeous  natural 
hues  of  a  Brazilian  forest. 

In  an  hour  we  were  at  the  outer  enclosures  of  the 
padron's  estate,  and  dismounting,  we  crossed  a  turbu- 
lent torrent  by  a  shifting  bridge,  which  was  drawn  up 
every  night,  and  passing  through  a  heavy  stone  gate- 
wav,  we  came  to  an  oblong  court  yard.     Opening  right 


208  TALES    FOK    THE    MARINES. 

and  left  were  immense  Trareliouses  and  magazines  for 
coffee,  sugar,  tobacco,  hides,  and  charque,  or  the  dried 
strips  of  beef  given  to  the  slaves  ;  and  continuing  ou 
through  a  long  arched  passage,  we  finally  reached  the 
court  yard  which  contained  the  dwelling  of  the  padron's 
family,  in  this  their  countiy  retreat  of  Pinchao.  It  was 
a  charming  spot,  paved  with  China  tiles,  in  the  most 
grotesque  designs.  At  one  end  was  a  large  tank  for 
swimming,  while  all  around  were  ranged  tubs,  and 
pyramidal  stone  stands,  of  limes,  citrons,  oranges,  and 
rare  plants,  and  flowers  of  every  color  and  fragrance. 

I  had  not  the  light  or  inclination  to  take  more  than  a 
cursory  peep  of  the  interior  of  this  spot,  on  the  evening 
of  our  arrival ;  but  in  a  few  days,  I  had  explored  and 
enjoyed  every  inch  of  masonry  and  foot  of  land  f.ir  and 
near.  I  discovered  that  the  main  dwellinsr  stood  with 
its  back  resting  against  a  great  isolated  rock,  where  a 
full,  bounding  torrent  leaped  from  the  inaccessible  crags 
behind,  and  dividing  itself  into  two  courses,  it  rushed 
around  the  hamlet,  united  again,  and  rolled  away  towards 
the  valley  to  feed  the  large  river  below.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  sugar  works,  the  entire  buildings  were 
of  but  one  story,  and  the  portion  occupied  by  the 
owner's  iamilv  looked  into  the  clean,  cool  court-vard. 
The  rooms  were  on  three  sides  for  sleeping,  but  the  sala 
and  dining  room  occupied  the  fourth,  and  had  windows 
opening  towards  the  sea.  The  roofs  were  flat  and  paved 
with  the  same  mateiial,  and  after  a  similar  fasliion  to  the 


TALES    YOV.    THE    MARINES.  £09 

court  below.  Botli  were  covered  with  stout  awnings, 
running  in  sections  on  horizontal  poles  and  frames,  so 
that  by  cords  and  tackles  at  the  corners  they  could  be 
spread  or  furled  in  a  moment.  • 

On  the  broad,  spacious  terraces  were  narrow  en- 
closures of  earth  filled  with  a  profusion  of  fragrant 
plants  and  dwarf  orange  trees,  through  which,  durhig 
the  dry  season,  were  trailed  miniature  aqueducts  of 
yellow  reeds  bubbling  with  pure  water,  and  punctured 
in  such  a  manner  as  that  the  spattering  liLtle  channels 
dripped  out  a  regular  tribute  at  the  root  of  every  plant. 

This  beautiful  terrace  was  our  favorite  resort.  The 
view  swept  over  the  misty  fiice  of  the  distant  ocean,  the 
islands,  coasts,  plains,  streams,  and  valleys,  with  the 
lofty  peaks  of  the  serras  on  both  sides  of  the  ridge  ;  and 
that  which  lent  an  additional  charm  to  our  senses  was 
the  clear,  musical  roar  of  the  cascade  and  torrents  sur- 
rounding us,  while  the  refreshing  exhalations  from  the 
waters  cooled  the  heated  atmosphere. 

Here,  too,  during  the  hottest  of  the  day,  we  swung 
in  grass  hammocks,  watching  the  humming  birds,  or 
"  winged  flowers,"  as  the  natives  call  them,  flitting 
about  the  shrubs  and  fruit,  and  listening  to  the  metallic 
clang  of  the  urapongas,  like  the  strokes  of  a  deep-toned 
bell  resounding  through  the  forests  below.  At  times  we 
heard  the  sharp,  whistling  chirps  of  the  oriole  sentinel 
bird,  giving  the  alarm  of  danger  to  his  thieving  com- 
panions amid  the  orange  groves  ;  and  the  parrots,  red, 
18* 


210  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

blue,  and  green,  chattering  and  screaming  in  their  harsh 
notes  during  their  dally  combats,  one  tribe  with  another. 
Occasionally,  before  the  approach  of  a  thunder  storm, 
we  would  have  a  call  from  a  whole  "  wilderness  of  mon- 
keys," who,  perched  on  the  jutting  angles  of  the  cas- 
tellated rock  behind  us,  would  look  down  and  make  ob- 
servations upon  our  mode  of  life  in  the  most  contemp- 
tuous manner  possible. 

My  principal  amusement,  however,  when  I  became 
strong  enough,  was  to  entice  Antonietta  and  her  hand- 
maiden Jilla  into  the  forest,  in  company  with  the  son  of 
the  padron,  a  lad  about  my  own  age.  There  he  taught 
me  to  use  the  bow  of  the  country.  It  was  made  of 
short,  tough,  springy  slips  of  wood,  with  two  cords, 
the  width  of  the  bow  apart,  upon  which,  near  the  mid- 
dle, was  a  neat  network,  which  held  the  missile.  Our 
ammunition  consisted  of  the  small,  solid  green  nuts  of 
the  cocoa ;  and  we  soon  became  such  adepts  in  the  use 
of  the  weapon,  that  we  could  bring  down  our  prey  at 
full  forty  yards.  I  have  seen  my  young  companion 
strike  a  humming  bird  while  poised  in  mid  air,  sipping 
with  its  delicate  bill  from  the  lianas.  The  brilliant  tou- 
cans, however,  were  the  rarest  game  ;  and  in  a  few 
wrecks  we  had  procured  a  sufficient  stock  of  their  lemon 
and  red  plumes  to  make  a  cape  for  the  shoulders  of  the 
little  Spanish  brunette  who  attended  us  on  our  rambles. 
She  was  not,  however,  idle ;  for  with  Jilla's  assistance, 
and  other  wee  bits  of  animated  ebony,  she  would  go  iu 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARIXES.  211 

pursuit  of  the  gorgeous  insects  of  the  country,  and  after- 
■«-ards  twine  them  into  wreaths  or  clusters  for  the  hair, 
where  the  beautiful  colors  —  deep  green,  yellow,  and 
blue  —  would  sparkle  in  the  lamplight  with  the  finest 
effect  imaginable. 

In  the  early  morning,  too,  before  the  hot  sun  had 
drunk  up  the  perfume  of  the  fruits  and  flowers,  we  would 
wander  along  the  slopes  of  the  hills,  through  the  clear- 
ly-tilled coffee  plantations,  plucking  here  and  there  a 
handful  of  pure  white  blossoms  and  ripe  red  berries,  to 
be  dried  and  cured  for  our  own  private  drinking.  Again, 
we  would  sit  for  hours,  later  in  the  day,  under  the  leafy 
shade  of  the  rich  natural  arbors,  interlaced  with  the  del- 
icate tendrils  and  flowers  of  the  lianas,  and  watch  the 
negroes  on  the  flat,  rocky  esplanades  below,  peeling, 
soaking,  spreading,  raking,  drying,  and  picking  the  cof- 
fee for  final  use. 

It  was  a  delightful  existence  I  led  in  this  charming 
tropical  retreat.  The  time  slipped  rapidly  away,  and  I 
lost  all  ear  for  the  music  of  a  boatswain's  whistle,  and 
eye  for  the  flutter  of  a  sail.  All  I  cared  for,  now  that 
I  had  become  quite  well  and  active,  was  to  listen  to 
the  low,  sweet  pipes  of  Antonietta,  and  to  watch  the 
floating  folds  of  her  light  canvas  as  she  sailed  from  tree 
to  tree  in  quest  of  the  insects  for  her  evening  toilet. 
We  had  no  lack  of  visitors  either  —  a  crowd  on  Sun- 
days, the  families  of  the  neighboring  planters,  and  some- 
times a  casual  acquaintance  from  Rio  or  San  Paulo.    On 


21^  TALES    FOR    THE    MAKIXES. 

these  occasions  we  danced  and  had  feasts  of  dulces  ;  the 
girls  staid  all  night,  said  mass  in  the  morning,  and  pad- 
dled about  the  tank,  too,  before  they  went  away.  Then 
we  used  to  attend  them  many  a  mile  down  to  the  banks 
of  the  river,  on  the  plain  below,  make  purchases  at  the 
little  town  of  Sillambya,  and  then  a  brisk  pace  home, 
with  the  sea  breeze  in  our  teeth. 

Six  months  flew  by  on  these  gay  butterfly  wings  be- 
fore I  even  reflected  how  happy  I  had  been,  or  gave  a 
thought  as  to  whether  the  busy  world  outside  of  Pin- 
chao  would  ever  bother  itself  about  me  again.  One 
day,  however,  the  dream  was  dissipated,  I  lay  swing- 
ing in  a  grass  hammock  on  the  terrace,  with  no  one  near 
save  my  kind  angel.  Dona  Mary,  or  Pancha,  as  she  was 
usually  termed  by  the  natives,  when  the  cheerful  voice 
of  the  padron  exclaimed,  as  he  pitched  a  packet  of  let- 
ters towards  her,  '^  There,  my  darling  —  news  for  you, 
and  something,  too,  for  the  httle  reefer."  Poor  girl!  she 
had  been  serious  and  pensive  for  a  long  while,  and  when 
the  parcel  fell  at  her  feet,  she  snatched  it  up,  and  placed 
it  to  her  heart ;  but  as  some  painful  thought  appeared  to 
come  over  her,  she  trembled,  the  color  forsook  her 
cheeks,  and  tremulously  pressing  her  lovely  hands  to 
her  eyes,  the  tears  gushed  out  like  a  fountain.  She  sat 
down,  and,  after  an  effort,  tore  off  the  envelope.  Her 
fears  were  soon  dispelled,  however,  and  with  a  deep  and 
thankful  sigh,  her  sparkling  though  suffused  eyes  ran 
from  page  to  page,  and  afterwards,  thinking  no  one  by. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAKIXES.  213 

she  j)ressed  the  missive  passionately  to  her  lips  and 
heart.  Lord,  man,  you  handsome  officer  in  particular, 
what  "v\'ould  you  have  given  to  behold  those  secret  and 
lavish  endearments  of  that  fond  and  loving  woman  upon 
the  mute  missive,  and  all  for  you  too  ?  And  who 
knows  but  you  may  have  been,  like  any  other  "  gentle 
man  of  war,"  airing  your  love  vocabulary  upon  some  fcdse 
image,  —  whether  Hindoo  or  Saxon  it  matters  not,  — 
and  instead  of  thinking,  mayhap,  with  Scapin,  that  ''  trois 
ans  de  galeres  de  plus  ou  de  moins  ne  sont  pas  pour  ar- 
reter  un  noble  cocur,"  it  might  more  properly  read, 
^'  three  years  away  from  one's  sweetheart  should  not 
paralyze  the  affections  of  an  ardent  lover  "  ?  I  contend, 
said  the  indignant  Lieutenant,  that  this  species  of  polyg- 
amy before  marriage  should  be  put  down,  and  good, 
wholesome  laws  devised  for  the  j)ermanent  suppression 
of  this  vice. 

Well,  as  I  told  you,  I  was  lying  perdu,  as  it  were,  in 
the  network  of  the  hammock,  regarding  this  fair  crea- 
ture through  the  interstices  of  my  hanging  couch,  when 
some  little  movement  I  unwittingly  made  attracted  her 
attention.  She  hastily  put  the  letter  she  had  been 
reading  in  the  bosom  of  her  dress,  and  speaking  up  quite 
unconcernedly,  said,  "  You  there,  Harry  ?  Why,  what 
has  become  of  'Tonietta  ?  "  She  then  approached  the 
hammock  with  her  joyful  soul  dancing  in  her  looks,  and, 
leaning  over,  actually  kissed  me.  I  heard  the  rustle, 
however,  of  the  crumpled  letter  in  the  folds  of  her  dress, 


214  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

and  I  felt  tliat  the  caress  was  intended,  in  imagination  at 
least,  for  some  one  else  —  her  handsome  officer  of 
course  ;  and  being  a  little  ngly  runt  of  a  boy,  becoming 
suddenly  unaccountably  jealous  and  savage,  I  turned 
pettishly  away  from  lips  that  an  emperor  might  have 
lost  an  empire  for. 

By  the  way,  ladies,  exclaimed  the  Lieutenant,  as  he 
rose  from  his  chair  and  exhibited  himself  at  full  length 
before  his  audience,  I'll  tell  you  a  secret  worth  the 
hearing,  or  rather  a  conviction  which  has  forced  itself 
upon  me  in  the  varied  experiences  I  have  had  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  both  hemispheres.  Your  handsome  men 
are  almost  invariably  troubled  with  fits.  I  don't  know 
how  to  account  for  it,  either  on  philosophical  or  physical 
grounds;  but  I  opine  that  Nature,  in  her  all-wise  dispo- 
sition to  preserve  a  balance  of  power  in  these  matters 
with  her  creatures,  is  constantly  striving  to  recompense 
us  ugly  fellows  by  an  exemption  from  those  unpleasant 
disorders  I  have  alluded  to.  There  are  exceptions,  I  am 
free  to  admit ;  but  I  never  met  with  one  save  in  the 
sole  case  of  my  handsome  friend  Jack  Gracieux;  and 
even  he  was  always  complaining  of  his  gizzard. 

The  narrator  worried  his  hair,  so  that  it  stuck  out  like 
the  headdress  of  a  Tongataboo  Islander,  and  resumed 
his  seat  and  his  yarn  at  the  same  time,  while  the  ladies 
looked  incredulous,  and  went  on  systematically  with 
their  knitting. 

"  O  fie  !  don't  be  cross,"  said  my  kind  angel,  in  her 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARI^'E3.  215 

sweet  tones.  "  Here  are  letters  for  you,  which  papa 
gave  me,  and  perhaps  it  will  comfort  you  to  read  them." 
I  was  so  ashamed  of  my  unreasonable,  boorish  conduct, 
that  I  immediately  sprang  out  of  the  hammock,  and 
kneeling  on  both  knees  before  her,  took  her  hands  in 
mine,  and  said,  "  My  dearest,  good  sister,  can  you  for- 
give my  rudeness  and  ill  temper  ?  Please  do.  I'll  never 
offend  you  again,  for  I  love  you  better  than  any  one 
else  in  the  wide  world."  "  Hush,  hush  !  "  she  laughed, 
pulhng  me  to  my  feet ;  "  I'm  not  vexed  with  you ;  and 
now  you  shall  kiss  me  :   there,  now  we're  even." 

At  that  moment  I  raised  my  face,  and  v\'hat  should 
meet  my  gaze  but  that  pretty  brunette,  Antonietta, 
standing  on  the  highest  steps  of  the  terrace,  and  bend- 
ing over  the  marble  coping  of  the  balustrade.  She  had 
evidently  just  returned  from  the  forest,  and  her  broad 
straw  flat  was  hung  Avith  strings  of  brilliant  insects, 
while  her  bodice  and  waist  were  wreathed,  and  the 
skirt  of  her  white  dress  looped,  with  multitudes  of  the 
rarest  leaves  and  flov/ers  of  every  rich  hue  and  form  that 
Jilla's  assiduity  and  her  mistress's  taste  could  invent. 
Her  face  was  half  averted,  thouo'h  I  could  see  the  eves 
were  flashing  as  only  a  Creole  girl's  eyes  can  flash,  while 
the  delicate  nostril  was  slightly  distended,  and  there  was 
a  deep  red  spot  on  her  cheek.  She  looked  like  a  very 
little  demon  of  a  Flora,  but  still  she  was  a  beauty. 

I  divined  at  once  that  she  had  not  only  witnessed,  but 
overheard,  every  thing,  innocent    as    it   was,    that    had 


216  TALES  FOR  THE  MARINES. 

passed  between  lier  tall  friend  and  myself,  who,  by  the 
way,  with  lier  back  towards  Antonietta,  had  not  seen  the 
angry  little  maiden,  but  had  tripped  away  to  her  own 
room,  no  doubt  to  kiss  and  weep  doatingly  over  her 
lover's  first  letter.  I  was  on  the  point  of  running  to 
the  little  brunette  and  explaining  the  incident,  but  a 
desire  to  tease  the  young  coquette,  who  ever  delighted 
in  teasing  me,  and  the  pleasure  I  experienced  in  feeling 
that  I  had  made  her  jealous,  restrained  me  a  few  seconds, 
and  meanwhile  she  had  vanished. 

That  evening,  however,  she  danced  and  flirted  in  the 
most  barefaced  manner  with  a  black,  bristle-pated,  chub- 
by cornet  of  ca^adores,  who  was  dismounted  and   serv- 
ing   in   the  militia.      She  would   take    sugar  water  and 
dulces  from  no  one  else.      She  gave  him  her  fan  to  get 
mended   at  the   village  ;  and   I   heard    her   promise  to 
waltz   with  him  forever  ;  though,  forsooth,   the  native 
went  round,  in  his  small,  yellow-tailed  jacket,  like  a  fat 
sweet  potato.     I  bore  this  punishment  tolerably  well  for 
some  time,  but  at  last,  becoming  a  trifle  piqued,  I  ven- 
tured to  saunter  up  to  the  sefiorita  and  claim  her  for  the 
contradanga,  v/hich  she  had  as  good  as  sworn  never  to 
dance  with  any  one  else.      ''  We  get  through  the  figures 
so  well  together,  Enrique,"  she  would  say,  "  that  I  feel 
awkward  with  my  other  partners."     But  on  the  present 
occasion  the  gypsy  gave  me  one  stare  of  amazement  out 
of  her  large,  liquid,  languishing   eyes,  and   then  mur- 
muring, with  a  light  laugh,  "  Adios,  nino,"  she  placed 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  217 

her    dimpled  fingers   in   the   dingy  paw  of  the   chunky- 
cornet,  and  off  they  whirled. 

I  should  have  died  perfectly  happy  if  I  could  have 
dealt  the  witch  one  stinging  slap  on  her  lovely  flushed 
cheek,  and  then  kicked  her  fat  native  from  the  big  rock 
into  the  cataract.  This  gratification  was  denied  me ; 
so  I  smothered  my  resentment  for  my  fickle  mistress, 
and  wandered  among  the  sedate,  cigar-puffing  gentry 
who  were  assembled  about  the  doors  and  windows  of  the 
sala.  They  were  all  attired  in  the  briefest  sky-blue 
coats,  with  the  narrowest  cut  tails  you  ever  saw  in  a 
civilized  country,  with  bright  brass  buttons,  and  white 
or  striped  trousers,  silk  stockings,  and  red  pumps. 

I  was  mentally  speculating  whether  some  of  them 
were  not  troubled  with  a  rush  of  blood  to  their  toes, 
from  mere  sympathy  to  their  shoe  leather,  when  I  came 
plump  upon  our  hospitable  acquaintance,  Dom  Joao  Por- 
gallos,  who  seized  me  cordially  by  the  flipper,  nodded, 
winked,  smiled,  patted  me  on  the  shoulder,  and,  in 
short,  gave  me  to  understand  that  he  had  just  arrived, 
was  quite  well,  and  was  overjoyed  to  find  me  entirely 
recovered.  The  padron  joined  us,  and  presently,  supper 
being  announced  to  him,  he  privately  telegraphed  about 
a  dozen  of  the  most  rotund  of  the  individuals  in  car- 
mine slippers  and  little  waistcoats,  and  we  all  slipped 
quietly  away  to  the  dining  hall.  We  were  soon  around 
the  table.  There  was,  as  usual,  a  steaming  olha,  flanked 
by  a  platter  of  black  beans  and  sausages  sufficient  for  a 
19 


218  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

company  of  grenadiers.  This  was  all  the  solid  eating, 
except,  perhaps,  something  in  the  way  of  fish,  that  ever 
graced  the  padron's  supper  table  at  Pinchao.  There 
was  no  stint,  however,  in  fluids.  Every  sort  of  that 
entertainment,  save  water,  flowed  in  streams. 

There  was  a  large,  round  judge  in  the  company,  very 
fat  about  the  gills,  apparently  apoplectic,  who,  while  rins- 
ing his  throat  after  swallowing  a  few  alligator  pears, 
opened  the  conversation  by  informing  the  party  present 
that  he  had  received  an  express  from  Rio,  apprising  him 
that  the  southern  provinces  had  been  recently  flooded 
with  spurious  copper  money,  and  that  there  was  reason 
for  believing  that  several  vessels  were  employed  along 
the  coast  in  our  vicinity,  in  furtherance  of  the  same 
laudable  undertaking. 

It  was  then  that  I  learned  that  the  copper  coin  of  the 
empire  had  been  stamped  and  issued  at  a  nominal  value 
far  above  the  intrinsic  worth  of  the  metal. 

The  plethoric  judge  continued,  amid  his  wines,  to 
state  that  the  government  contemplated  calling  in  all  the 
copper  money  in  the  empire,  to  re-mark  it  at  its  true 
standard,  and  in  the  mean  time  they  were  anxious  to  en- 
trap the  enterprising  importers  of  the  spurious  article. 
To  effect  this  he  was  in  communication  with  the  author- 
ities of  the  little  ports  of  Princeza  and  Sebastin,  and  he 
expected  shortly  to  proceed  thither,  with  the  troop  of  or- 
dejianpas  of  his  friend  the  coroneis,  referring  to  the  supe- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  S19 

rior  officer  of  my  rival  tlie  cornet,  which  body  of  militia 
numbered  seventeen,  including  two  drummers. 

"  Bom  dito  !  Very  good,  senhores,"  said  the  stout 
padron.  "  I'm  not  opposed  on  principle  to  smuggling," 
—  here  he  tossed  off  a  pint  of  Burgundy,  —  "  but  at  the 
same  time,  I  don't  mind  seeing  the  sport  of  capturing  the 
vagabonds  ;  and  since  I  am  a  delegado,  ex  officio,  and  have, 
moreover,  a  little  business  down  at  Sebastin  relative  to 
shipping  some  sugar  for  Rio  Janeiro,  why,  I'll  join  you." 

Dom  Joao  acquiesced  in  this  plan,  also,  in  his  own  pe- 
culiar way,  and  so  it  was  arranged  that  we  were  all  to 
join  the  army  of  brave  ordenangas,  whenever  it  became 
positively  known  that  the  copper  merchants  were  on  the 
coast. 

"With  the  exception  of  the  padron  and  his  inseparable 
Porgallos,  the  remaining  individuals  retired  to  rest.  I 
lingered  to  the  last,  and  then  walking  out  into  the  court 
yard,  I  found  that  the  music  of  the  sala  was  silent,  the  pol- 
ished floor  deserted,  and  the  entire  dwelling  in  repose. 
I  was  out  of  humor  with  all  the  world,  and  turning  over 
a  scheme  in  my  own  mind  hoAv  I  could  easiest  quarrel  with 
the  bristle-headed  cornet,  and  do  him  grievous  bodily 
injury  for  having  usurped  the  favor  of  my  mistress, 
when  the  thought  occurred  to  me  that  I  had  not  yet  pe- 
rused the  letters  which  had  been  handed  to  me  in  the 
hammock.  Accordingly  I  slowly  bent  my  steps  up  one 
of  the  flights  of  the  terrace,  and  while  walking  over  the 
tiled  roof  to  the  angle  where  the  hammocks  were  swing- 


220  TALES    FOK    THE    MARINES. 

ing,  I  observed  a  white  figure  seated  near  the  coping. 
My  tread  was  scarcely  audible  above  the  bubbling  rush 
of  the  torrent  raging  beloAV,  and  I  unconsciously  found 
myself  at  the  side  of  Antonietta.  She  did  not  perceive 
me,  however,  and  as  the  sarcasm  of  "  Good-by,  child," 
was  still  ringing  in  my  ears,  I  was  on  the  point  of  coun- 
termarching as  noiselessly  and  expeditiously  as  I  came  ; 
but  some  how  or  another  there  is  such  a  magnetic  sym- 
pathy, or  attraction,  —  call  it  what  you  will  —  around 
these  fluttering  little  fledglings,  that  I  verily  believe  a 
boat  hook  hitched  to  my  trousers,  or  a  lufl"  tackle  pur- 
chase at  my  heels,  could  not  have  dragged  me  away. 
There  the  little  beauty  sat,  both  hands  crossed  in  her 
lap,  her  head  resting  against  one  of  the  stone  pillars 
which  upheld  the  ridgepoles  of  the  awnings.  A  band  of 
her  glossy  hair  was  streaming  over  her  cheek,  while  her 
gaze  was  steadily  fixed  upon  the  distant  sea,  just  glim- 
mering, a  long  way  off",  in  the  feeble  light  of  a  young 
moon. 

"  Dona  Antonietta,"  I  began,  —  and  this  was  the  first 
time  I  had  ever  addressed  her  by  so  formal  a  title,  — 
"  how  late  you  are  up  !  Do  you  know  that  day  will  soon  be 
breaking  ?  "  Not  a  w^ord,  only  a  slight  start  of  vexation 
and  surprise,  as  she  hastily  put  up  a  hand  and  pushed 
back  her  loose  tresses.  Presently  I  made  another  at- 
tempt. "  Seiiorita  Gonsalvez,  have  I  ofiended  you  ?  " 
This  was  greeted  with  a  very  perceptible  sneer  ;  accord- 
ingly I  changed  my  mode  of  attack,  with,  "  Hoav  can 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  221 

you  treat  me  so  cruelly,  Antonietta,  and  take  such  a  vio- 
lent fancy  for  that  Brazilian  officer  ?  Does  the  last 
comer  make  you  forget  old  friends  ?  "  Another  curl  of 
the  pouting  Up,  and  a  very  slight  gesture  of  impatience. 
"  Dear  'Tonietta,  you  know  I  love  you  so  much  !  You 
are  my  first  love,  too  ;  and " 

"  Mentira  —  fib  !  "  exclaimed  the  girl,  as  her  Spanish 
eyes  gleamed  with  passion. 

"  No,  no,  'Tonietta  mia  !  all  true,  true !  "  and  here 
hurrying  on  in  a  jumble  of  asseverations  and  explana- 
tions, I  told  her  what  I  had  seen,  and  how  indignant  I 
felt  towards  Pancha,  and  all  about  the  letter.  I  tried, 
also,  to  explain,  in  a  breath,  the  difference  betwixt  my 
loves,  — a  difficult  task  it  was,  —  one  for  gratitude,  and 
the  other  for  real  feeling,  and  all  that,  until  at  last  I  found 
myself  seated  beside  the  now  weeping  little  beauty,  with 
my  arms  around  her,  and  I  administering  consolation  by 
kissing  her  eyes,  cheeks,  and  rosy  lips,  as  if  my  very 
existence  depended  upon  getting  through  a  thousand  or 
so  a  minute. 

The  Lord  only  knows  how  long  we  remained  on  that 
terrace  ;  and  we  might  perhaps  have  been  there  until 
this  time,  had  I  not  been  awakened  from  my  trance  by 
the  tinkle  of  the  chapel  bell ;  and  glancing  towards  the 
east,  the  gray  bars  of  dawn  were  opening  before  the 
light  of  the  coming  day.  "  Adios,  mi  alma  !  "  I  said, 
after  leading  her  down  the  marble  stairs. 
19* 


222  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

''  Hasta  siempre,  nino  mio"  she  whispered,  while  the 
pressure  of  her  hand  tlii'illed  in  mine,  as  she  stole,  like 
a  snowy  sylph,  into  her  own  room. 

Need  I  tell  you  that  for  the  second  time  I  forgot 
all  about  my  packet  of  letters,  and  went  to  my  couch, 
and  soon  to  sleep  in  a  little  Elysian  Field  of  my  own 
planting,  which  I  resolved  to  live  in  and  cultivate  for 
Antonietta  alone,  with  nothing  but  singing  birds  and 
butterflies  for  companions?  I  dreamed  of  some  in- 
describable paradise  of  this  nature,  and  that  a  big  ape, 
with  the  bristle  pate  of  my  rival  on  his  shoulders, 
was  walking  up  a  tall  tree,  hand  over  fist,  with  my  bride 
elect  tucked  away  under  his  sinewy  paws.  As  he 
grinned  like  a  devil,  and  shied  a  cocoa  nut  slap  at  my 
nose,  I  leaped  up  with  dire  intent  from  my  couch,  and 
was  greeted  by  the  visage  of  the  jolly  padron  and  the 
polite  Porgallos,  standing  in  the  flesh  beside  me. 

"  Hillo  !  "  quoth  the  former.  "  Come,  take  a  dip  in 
the  tank.  Joao,  here,  and  I  have  been  discussing  the  af- 
iairs  of  the  nation  all  night ;  —  country's  safe  —  so  make 
your  mind  easy  and  have  a  plunge.  By  the  way,"  he 
added,  "  what  says  old  Percy  in  his  note  ?  "  **  What 
note  ?  "  I  ejaculated.  "  Why,  the  packet  I  sent  you 
yesterday  by  Mary,  when  you  w^ere  napping  away  up 
there  in  the  hammocks.  I  had  a  line,  too,  from  that 
rollicking  shipmate  of  yours,  Hazy's  his  name,  I  believe, 
and  here  it  is."     Thus  it  ran:  — 


TALES    FOK   THE   MARINES.  223 

"  My  esteemed  Toper  :  If  that  elf  of  a  reefer^  Mr.  Har- 
ry Gringo,  is  yet  alive,  and  not  carried  off  by  the  mon- 
keys, will  you  indulge  him  with  the  accompanying  doc- 
uments, and  pack  him  carefully  on  a  mule,  and  consign 
him  to  my  care  here  at  Santos,  so  that  I  may  return  him 
to  his  own  nest  or  the  flag  ship,  which  last  I  expect  to 
meet  one  of  these  days  at  St.  Catharine's.  I  am  also 
commissioned  to  offer  a  passage  to  the  daughter  of  Don 
Antonio  Gonsalvez,  and  will  make  the  chit  as  comforta- 
ble as  my  spacious  cabin  will  admit. 

"  Ever  thine. 

Jack  Hazy." 

You  may  take  an  aflSdavit  that  my  heart  sank  within 
me  on  perusing  this  characteristic  billet.  But  pulling  on 
my  trousers,  I  ran  up  to  the  terrace,  and  grasped  the 
packet  which  I  had  so  often  forgotten.  There  were  sev- 
eral letters  —  one  from  your  grandmother,  filled  with  ex- 
cellent advice,  and  informing  me  that  she  had  bought  a 
pew  in  church,  to  solace  my  last  moments  ;  another  from 
my  old  grandfather,  with  a  promise  of  a  new  boat  and 
gun  when  I  got  back  home  ;  then  a  small,  though  legi- 
ble scrawl  from  Senhor  Jose  Moskeet,  bumboatman 
at  the  city  of  Eio  Janeiro,  conveying  a  sincere  hope 
that  I  would  cancel  a  small  obligation  with  respect  to 
fish,  fruit,  and  sundries,  before  I  departed  this  life. 
There  were  also  a  few  lines  from  my  messm-ates 
on  board  the  Juniata  in  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  and  final- 


224:  TALES    FOU   THE    MARINES. 

ly,  a  kind  missive  from  my  old  captain.     This  was  its 
burden :  — 

"  My  dear  Boy  :  I  have  thought  best  to  request  Lieu- 
tenant Hazy,  who  has  recently  been  appointed  to  the 
brig  Flirt,  to  take  you  on  board,  in  case  he  goes  to  your 
vicinity,  as  I  trust  that  your  healtii  is  nearly  restored, 
and  the  sea  air  will  be  of  service  to  you.  With  my 
kind  regards  to  the  ladies   and   the  padron, 

*'  I  am  yours, 

J.  P." 

I  must  have  looked  very  dismal  and  lugubrious  as 
the  last  of  these  papers  fell  from  my  hands,  for  the  good- 
natured  padron  patted  me  lightly  on  the  back,  and  said, 
"  Well,  well,  never  mind ;  we  shall  all  break  up  the 
camp  here  shortly,  and  we'll  have  you  again  at  your  old 
quarters  in  Rio  when  the  squadron  gets  back.  So  slip 
on  your  togs,  take  a  bath,  and  let's  get  a  bite  of  break- 
fast into  our  lockers." 

I  was  sad  enough,  certainly,  and  nothing  but  the  per- 
spective hope  of  meeting  my  warm-hearted  friends  again 
gave  me  the  slightest  relief  That  day  I  threw  my 
bow  into  the  torrent,  pushed  Jilla  so  roughly  over  the 
bridge  that  she  injured  her  tender  shins,  beat  my  sedate 
mule,  the  Bishop,  so  severely  that  he  lay  flat  down  in 
the  mud  beside  a  cane  brake  ;  and  altogether,  I  felt 
more  miserable  than  I  had  ever  made  mvself  before. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  225 

Towards  evening,  however,  a  pleasant  stroll  with  Pan- 
cha  and  Antonietta,  and  the  cool  rebuff  the  latter  gave 
my  potato-built  rival,  —  who  had  ridden  himself  into  a 
profuse  perspiration  a  distance  of  eight  leagues,  ^Yith  a 
letter  from  the  judge,  and  the  repaired  fan,  —  rather  re- 
vived me.  At  dinner  the  padron  told  me  that  he  was  to 
leave  the  next  day  but  one ;  and  that  he  had  received 
intelligence  of  a  smuggling  vessel  being  on  the  coast, 
which  was  purchasing  sugar  at  high  prices,  but  of  course 
paying  in  base  metal. 

After  considerable  discussion,  it  was  decided  also  that 
Mary  should  accompany  her  little  creole  friend  a  part 
of  the  way  to  Santos,  and  the  matron  too  ;  for  it  was  the 
boast  of  her  amiable  spouse  that  he  never  slept  away 
from  his  tooth  brush  or  his  wife.  Of  necessity  she 
was  to  attend  him  on  the  expedition  to  Sebastin,  where, 
with  a  proper  escort,  Antonietta  and  myself  were  to  be 
despatched  to  our  destination. 

The  hour  arrived.  I  gave  one  glance  around  that 
noble  terrace,  looked  over  the  parapet  into  the  rushing 
stream,  and  up  at  the  great  solid  castle  of  granite,  then 
down  into  the  court  yard,  with  its  miniature  groves 
and  pool,  which  I  never  beheld  again.  Then,  as  we 
wound  over  the  httle  bridge,  and  through  the  stupen- 
dous bolls  of  the  forest,  in  the  dim,  gray  light  of  morn- 
ing, where  the  feathery  branches  and  clasping  vines  were 
spread  with  the  gossamer  webs,  sagging  with  laps  of 
dew,  I  leaned  over  the    blacking  brush   mane   of   the 


226  TALES   FOR   THE    MARINES. 

Bishop,  and  dropped  a  tear  upon  his  docile  neck,  as  I 
bid  adieu  to  Pinchao. 

"  I'll  pinch  somebody  else,"  whispered  the  matron 
to  the  narrator,  "  if  you  keep  that  boy  up  any  later  this 
evening."  The  Lieutenant  bowed,  sucked  his  cheroot, 
and  by  his  silence  ended  his  adventures  for  the  night. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

The  Lieutenant  again  threw  himself  into  his  chair,  — 
a  comfortable,  leather-backed  fellow,  with  straps  for 
arms,  and  surreptitiously  pulling  off  the  suspenders,  which 
were  the  Lieutenant's  abhorrence,  from  Fred's  trousers, 
he  looked  inquiringly  around  at  the  ladies,  to  know 
when  they  would  be  ready  to  hear  a  continuation  of  his 
exploits,  and  receiving  a  nod  of  approval  from  his  help- 
mate, resumed  the  Gringoniad. 

We  were  a  much  larger  party  on  leaving  Pinchao 
than  on  our  advent ;  for  we  enrolled  in  our  band  the 
fat  judge,  the  dear,  polite  Porgallos,  the  coroneis,  and  his 
aide-de-camp,  besides  the  padron,  the  ladies,  and  my- 
self; the  battahon  of  troops,  including  the  two  drum- 
mers, having  begun  their  march  the  preceding  night. 

We  had  a  journey  of  some  twenty  leagues  to  the 
coast ;  but  before  the  sun  had  a  fair  chance  of  scorching 
our  brains  to  cinders,  we  reached  a  pleasant  halting 
place  on  the  banks  of  a  little  rivulet,  and  had  accom- 
plished nearly  one  half  the  distance.  The  blacks  had 
already  made  fires  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  cleared 
away  the  brushwood,  and  made  a  carpet  of  rich  grasses 
and  the  enormous  leaves  which  grcAV  in  profusion  around. 

(227) 


228  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

As  delicious  a  breakfast  had  also  been  prepared,  of  cboc- 
olate,  meats,  a  tomato  salad,  and  cool  French  wines,  as  a 
Christian  of  the  nineteenth  century  would  have  chosen 
to  sit  cross-legged  at.  The  siesta  came  afterwards  ;  and 
on  this  occasion  my  canvas  cot  had  again  been  called 
into  requisition  for  Antonietta ;  so  I  lay  at  full  length 
beneath,  and  thus  permitted  Jilla  the  double  gratification 
of  fanning  us  both  to  repose  with  a  banana  leaf,  big 
enough  to  have  made  a  hammock  for  the  pair  of  us. 
The  blue  ocean  was  at  our  feet,  and  away  oif  on  the 
horizon  arose  the  indistinct  outline  of  Princeza,  and 
lesser  peaks  of  islands  to  the  west. 

We  had  been  dozing  some  hours,  when,  by  and  by, 
the  lofty  trees  above  our  heads  gently  nodded  with  their 
feathery  plumes  one  to  another,  and  the  broad,  green, 
fleshy  leaves  of  the  smaller  growth  began  to  rustle  as 
they  rubbed  and  beat  their  ponderous  stems  together. 
The  parrots,  toucans,  and  maocas  ceased  their  deafening, 
harsh,  screaming  noises,  and  with  a  twittering  succes- 
sion of  chutterSf  furled  their  brilliant  wings,  and  creep- 
ing close  side  by  side  upon  the  dizzy  branches,  nestled 
to  quiet  and  rest.  At  the  same  time  the  first  refresh- 
ing sighs  of  the  sea  breeze  came  faintly  fiurrying  up 
along  the  valley,  till,  gaining  strength,  it  rolled  with 
its  full  force,  and  we  all  raised  our  heads  to  catch  its 
cool  breath  upon  our  tepid  cheeks. 

As  we  jogged  on,  in  an  easy,  descending  ramble, 
from  one  beautiful  valley  to  another,  and  approached  tLe 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  229 

base  of  the  serras,  the  conjoint  effects  of  heat  and  mois- 
ture produced  such  an  astonishingly  luxuriant  growth 
of  vegetation  as  positively  to  baffle  all  description ;  in 
so  extraordinary  a  superfluity,  too,  that  in  some  places 
nothing  but  the  heavy,  curved  cane  knives  of  the  negroes 
could  clear  a  pathway.  We  soon,  however,  passed 
through  this  belt  of  rank  undergrowth,  and  emerged 
into  the  more  level,  but  equally  fertile  slopes.  The 
soil  was  still  so  rich  that  the  very  trees  split  for  pal- 
ings to  the  plantations  were  shooting  branches,  like  sap- 
lings of  a  year's  growth ;  this,  too,  without  regard  to 
the  ends  which  had  been  stuck  into  the  earth. 

Once  on  the  open  road,  our  beasts  quickened  their  pace, 
the  Bishop  coursing  like  a  descendant  from  the  equine 
stock  of  Mahomet,  and  away  we  ambled,  after  the  long 
line  of  negroes,  who,  with  their  monotonous  chants,  never 
seemed  to  tire.  The  sun  set  and  the  moon  came,  but  the 
halo  of  its  first  rising  had  given  place  to  the  sharp,  clear 
disk,  high  in  the  heavens,  before  a  final  volley  of  shrieks 
from  the  noisy  blacks  announced  to  us  that  we  had  at  last 
reached  our  stopping-place  for  the  night,  on  the  suburbs 
of  the  little  port  of  Sebastin. 

We  were  cordially  received  by  a  tall,  thin  priest,  — 
who,  by  the  way,  was  the  only  one  of  that  build  I  ever 
saw  in  Brazil,  —  with  a  broad-rimmed,  stove-pipe  hat 
on  his  head,  that  must  of  necessity  have  been  a  fortune 
to  the  hatter  who  made  it,  in  material  alone,  to  say 
nothing  of  labor. 

20 


230  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

"  Padre  !  0  Padre  Flaquiiilio  !  "  shouted  the  padron  ; 
**  here  we  are,  your  pious  daughters,  your  obedient  sons, 
Joao  and  myself,  with  an  ouvidor,  an  infidel  of  a  sailor, 
together  with  the  coroneis,  and  a  particularly  choice  lot 
of  militia,  considering  they  are  not  paid,  who  will  all 
bivouac  with  you  for  the  night,  and  divert  you  with  mu- 
sic in  the  morning." 

"  Such  as  I  have,  my  children,"  replied  the  courteous 
priest,  "  shall  be  provided  ;  and  my  good  niece,  Maron- 
ha,  here,  has  been  expecting  you." 

Now,  this  niece  alluded  to,  who  stood  near  to  her  un- 
cle, with  her  face  and  form  lighted  up  by  the  flames  of 
the  torches,  bore  such  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  the 
padre's  patrician  features,  that  one  unacquainted  with 
the  genealogical  fibres  of  the  family  tree  might  have 
hazarded  the  suggestion  that  the  elegantly-shaped  Ma- 
ronha  might  have  been  his  daughter.  As  we  all  know, 
however,  that  celibacy  is  not  regarded  as  an  "  accursed 
state  "  by  the  priesthood,  but,  on  the  contrary,  as  a  very 
great  blessing,  why,  as  a  natural  consequence,  this  idea 
could  have  no  foundation  in  fact. 

The  padre's  house  was  not  very  extensive  ;  but,  nev- 
ertheless, we  were  all  decently  provided  for,  even  to  the 
foot  soldiers,  who  had  preceded  us,  and  who  found 
shelter  under  cover  of  a  long,  tiled  shed,  within  a  tama- 
rind grove  a  short  distance  from  the  dwelling  house. 

After  a  mouthful  of  frugal  beans,  and  a  sip  of  tolerable 
aguardiente  grog,  we  betook  ourselves  to  grass  hammocks 


TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES.  231 

under  cover  of  the  projecting  piazzas  wHch  ran  around 
the  building,  while  the  ladies  were  billeted,  under  the 
fair  Maronha's  supervision,  in  a  large  apartment  by 
themselves. 

Scarcely,  however,  had  we  men  folks  composed 
our  jaded  frames  to  slumber,  when  we  were  awakened, 
as  we  thought,  by  the  infernal  musicians  belonging  to 
the  marching  brigade,  who  commenced  hammering  away 
on  their  brass  kettle  drums  like  a  battalion  of  China- 
men at  work  with  chopsticks. 

"  What  the  merry  thunder  is  all  that  racket  for  at  this 
time  of  night?"  exclaimed  the  padron,  as  he  kicked  the 
taciturn  Dom  Joao,  and  shook  the  coroneis  into  conscious- 
ness, while  they  all  swung  their  heels  out  of  the  ham- 
mocks, and  proceeded  deliberately  to  strike  a  light  for  a 
paper  cigar.  This,  by  the  way,  is  the  very  first  feat 
your  true  Portuguese  or  Spaniard  performs  after  his 
birth,  and  just  before  he  gives  up  the  ghost.  I  never 
knew  the  contrary,  except  in  one  instance,  where,  an  ac- 
quaintance of  mine  being  about  to  hang  some  Spanish 
buccaneers  in  the  West  Indies,  captured  by  the  mosqui- 
to fleet,  one  of  the  pirates,  with  the  drop  rope  pretty 
tight  around  his  throat,  and  the  knot  under  his  ear, 
asked  with  his  last  breath  for  ''  poco  mas  cafe  " —  a  lit- 
tle more  coffee. 

Well,  click,  click,  went  the  flint  and  steel ;  a  spark 
caught  the  tinder  in  the  silver  tube;  smack,  smack, 
oom-m-me !  the  tobacco  ignited,  and  the   smokers  were 


232  TALES    FOR    THE    MAl^I^'Eg. 

then  ready  for  any  question  wlilcli  miglit  be  brought  to 
their  notice.     Discussion,  however,  was  utterly  impossi 
ble,   for   the  noise  without  increased,  until   the  whole 
plain  seemed  to  be  alive  with  insane  drummers. 

"  Holloa  !  Padre  !  Dom  Carlos  !  Estevano  !  "  shout- 
ed the  padron  ;  "are  we  attacked?  Is  there  murder  in 
the  wind,  or  has  Don  Sebastian  returned  from  Africa?  " 

Presently  the  women  were  all  agog,  the  blacks  yelled 
and  gabbled  like  demons,  and  at  last  the  padre  himself 
appeared  in  his  shirt  and  shovel  hat,  —  a  very  novel 
fancy  sketch  he  made  in  that  rig,  —  and  desired,  also, 
to  be  informed  what  was  the  disturbance  among  the 
soldiers. 

"  Disturbance  !  "  returned  the  padron  ;  "  I  believe 
you ;  for,  by  St.  Barnabas,  I  have  lived,  at  one  time 
and  another,  half  a  lifetime  about  military  quarters,  and 
the  like  horrid  contrivances,  but  I  never  heard  such  a 
devil's  tattoo  of  a  reveille  as  this ;  and  it  appears  to  be 
up  in  the  air,  too  ! " 

Still  at  short  intervals  the  rubadub  din  went  on ;  not, 
however,  in  regular  rolls  or  measured  beats,  as  pre- 
scribed by  written  barrack  music,  but  the  most  discur- 
sive, helter-skelter,  rumbling,  rattling,  snapping  of 
sticks,  brass,  and  sheepskin  ever  heard. 

Meanwhile  the  obliging  Porgallos,  having  got  his 
cigarrillo  into  a  glow,  and  acquired  a  precise  knowledge, 
after  his  own  peculiar  method,  of  the  affairs  without, 
rolled  out  of  his  couch  in  the  briefest  night  raiment, 
perhaps,  you  ever  saw,  and  vanished. 


TALES    FOR   THE    MAKINE3.  233 

Presently  he  returned,  followed  by  the  priest,  the 
colonel,  my  rival  with  the  bristle  pate,  half  a  dozen 
blackskins,  and  a  crowd  of  people  who  had  been  inter- 
cepted flying  in  desperation  along  the  road,  to  escape  from 
what  they  believed  to  be  a  hostile  invasion.  As  for  the 
jolly  padron,  he  never  budged  from  his  position  until  his 
friend  Dom  Joao  approached  him  in  a  quiet  convulsion 
of  laughter  ;  then,  after  a  little  dumb  language,  made 
up  of  signs,  nods,  and  other  pantomime,  the  portly  pa- 
dron threw  himself  back,  kicked  up  his  toes,  and  roared 
off  in  a  series  of  husky  shouts,  which  brought  him 
within  half  a  second  of  apoplexy,  and  for  the  moment 
deadened  the  distressing  martial  music  without. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  papa  ?  "  whimpered  the  good 
matron  from  within  the  dwelling.  "Do  let  us  poor 
women  out,  and  don't  be  dancing  round  there  in  your 
shirts." 

So  soon  as  the  padron,  the  lank  padre,  and  the  chief 
of  the  Brazilian  forces  had  recovered  breath,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  explaining  to  us  that  the  soldiers,  while  sound 
asleep,  were  disturbed  by  the  music  of  the  drums,  and, 
believing  themselves  attacked  by  the  enemy,  had,  with 
the  exception  of  one  man,  bolted  en  masse,  and  were  no 
longer  visible.  Before  seeking  repose,  they  had  hung 
their  accoutrements  on  the  overhanging  eaves  of  the 
sheds,  and  the  drams  had  been  pounced  upon  by  a 
troop  of  ringtailed  monkeys,  who,  overjoyed,  no  doubt, 
with  their  prizes,  forthwith  retired  to  the  lofty  branches 

go* 


234  TALES    FOR   THE   MAllINES. 

of  the  grove,  and  there,  in  emulation  of  the  biped 
performers,  began  to  practise.  Every  one  of  them  had 
a  stick  or  a  stone,  and  they  hammered  away  like  imps, 
as  they  were. 

In  a  few  minutes,  however,  Porgallos  had  procured 
the  double  barrelled  gun,  and  getting  within  easy  range, 
he  let  drive  both  chai-ges  of  fine  shot  up  amidst  the 
nimble  rogues,  when  down  came  the  drums,  and  sticks, 
and  stones  with  a  crash,  and  the  performers  went  off 
with  a  series  of  shrieks  and  enraged  screams,  which 
almost  made  us  as  deaf  as  Porgallos.  It  is  needless  to 
add  that  the  drums  themselves  required  such  extensive 
repairs  that  we  were  not  again  troubled  with  them. 

"When  the  clamor  had  entirely  subsided,  we  again  be- 
took ourselves  to  the  hammocks  ;  but  sleep  was  out  of 
the  question,  so  we  swung  to  and  fro  to  create  an  arti- 
ficial breeze,  until  the  sun  came  up  with  a  red,  heated 
atmosphere  around  it,  and  we  were  forced  to  screen  oui'- 
selves  within  the  dwelling. 

After  coffee,  the  troops,  who  had  returned  after  their 
inglorious  skirmish  with  the  monkeys,  were  marched  off 
with  the  fat  officer  to  quarters  in  the  port.  They  were 
mere  lath-made  fellows,  with  tliin,  spidery  limbs,  and 
dingy,  yellow  faces.  Their  muskets  were  several  sizes 
too  large  for  them,  and  they  were  uniformed  in  green 
and  yellow  jackets,  dirty  brown  trousers,  grass  sandals, 
and  cloth  caps,  with  variegated  shaving  brushes  stuck 
in   the  top.     Altogether,   they  did  not  impress  me  as 


TALES    FOE,    THE    MARINES.  235 

troops  capable  of  withstanding  a  desperate  charge  while 
thrown  into  hollow  square  upon  any  severe  crisis  ;  and 
since  they  were  all  more  or  less  steeped  to  their  eyes  in 
garlic,  and  very  much  afflicted  with  cutaneous  disorders 
and  fleas,  I  was  not  sorry  to  see  them  file  off  with  the 
bristle  pate  at  their  side.  The  gentlemen,  too,  of  our 
own  immediate  party  went  off  also  in  the  train  of  Padre 
Flaquinho,  and  I  was  left  with  dear  little  'Tonietta  and 
the  other  ladies  all  to  myself. 

In  the  evening  the  padron  got  back,  but  in  a  furious 
passion ;  and  indeed  it  was  the  only  occasion  I  ever  re- 
member to  have  seen  him  out  of  humor.     He  told  me 
that  there  had  been,  as  was  surmised,  a  large  polacre,  in 
company  with  a  schooner,  about  the  coast  for  a  week  or 
more,  buying  up  sugar  and  coffee,  and  that  his  "  factor,  — 
the  devil  roast  him,  —  having  received  an  excellent  offer, 
as  he  thought,  had  disposed  of  four  thousand  arrobas  of 
sugar,  and  been  paid  in   spurious  copper.      There  was, 
however,    consolation    in    knowing,"    said    the    padron, 
"  that   several   other  merchants  had  been  defrauded  in 
like    manner."     The  negotiations    had  been  conducted 
by  an  immensely  tall  man  and  a  woman  who  spoke  the 
language  so  fluently  they  took  her  to  be  from  Portugal. 
She  was,  moreover,  so  sharp  and   fierce,  and   drank  so 
much  fiery  liquor,  that   she  had   terrified  and  bullied 
divers  persons  into  bargains  which  they  had  no  intention 
of  making.     As  yet,  however,  the   deluded  traders  of 
the  port  were  not  thoroughly  aware  how  well  they  had 


236  TALES  rou  the  marines. 

been  duped,  and  the  shrewd  padron  had  not  thought  it 
advisable  to  put  them  in  full  possession  of  the  facts. 
The  two  vessels  had  sailed  the  day  before,  with  appar- 
ently plenty  of  money  left  —  the  polacre  for  Ilha 
Grande  or  St.  Sebastian,  while  the  schooner  was  to  run 
round  to  Santos,  and  take  in  a  large  lot  of  coffee,  already 
engaged,  to  be  paid  for,  of  course,  in  coin  of  imperial 
weight,  but  not  lawfully  stamped  with  the  arms  of  the 
empire. 

The  padron  was  some  sort  of  a  Brazilian  alcalde,  be- 
sides being  empowered  to  arrest  the  dealers  in  this 
metal.  iNIoreover,  having  a  strong  inclination  to  recover 
his  own  little  dues,  it  was  decided  that  we  should  push 
on  along  the  coast  to  Santos.  We  took  leave  of  the  hos- 
pitable priest  by  an  embrace  under  the  shade  of  his  hat, 
made  our  compliments  to  his  handsome  niece,  and  then 
mounting  our  beasts,  —  my  own  the  ever-docile  Bishop, 
—  we  set  out  in  the  fresh  air  of  the  night.  The  troops 
were  also  put  in  motion.  On  this  occasion,  however, 
instead  of  leading  the  advance,  they  made  a  flank  move- 
ment, and  brought  up  the  rear.  The  good  Porgallos 
accompanied  us  for  a  league  or  two,  and  then,  in  his 
usual  pleasant  way,  bade  us  adieu.  He  gave  me  a  great 
deal  of  good  advice,  and  took  such  an  affectionate  leave 
of  me  that  there  has  always  existed  an  idea  in  my  mind 
that  he  intended  to  present  me  with  the  large  black 
brilliant,  but  refrained,  perhaps,  from  conscientious 
scruples. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  237 

On  tlie  evening  of  the  second  day  we  were  in  the 
pretty  little  town  of  Santos.  It  is  built  about  three 
miles  from  the  sea  coast,  on  the  banks  of  an  inlet,  or 
rather  a  narrow  river,  which  takes  a  wide  curve  from  its 
mouth,  and  wanders  about  two  or  thi-ee  leagues  before  it 
approaches  the  town.  The  banks  are  tolerably  high  on 
the  eastern  shores,  and  very  low  on  the  other.  Near 
the  entrance  was  a  venerable  and  dilapidated  fort, 
mounting  a  variety  of  heavy  ordnance,  which  might 
have  done  mischief  had  there  been  any  ammunition  ; 
but  in  my  time  the  decayed  old  custom  house  sergeant 
and  his  wife  who  commanded  the  fortress  were  not  sup- 
plied with  an  ounce  of  powder,  though  they  did  a  deal 
of  fighting  among  themselves.  The  depth  of  the  river 
was  quite  sufficient,  all  the  way  up  to  Santos,  for  a  line 
of  battle  ship,  though  it  was  seldom  vessels  of  war  came 
above  the  usual  anchorage  near  the  fort. 

I  was  up  bright  and  early  the  morning  after  our  ar- 
rival, and  passing  along  the  sandy  streets  before  the  little 
cafes  were  open,  I  gained  the  water  side,  and  there  I 
saw,  to  my  surprise,  lying  in  the  stream,  my  friend 
Hazy's  ten-gun  brig,  the  Flirt.  She  was  a  smallish 
craft,  built  by  contract,  and  fortunately  rotted  to  pieces 
before  she  had  the  chance  of  turning  turtle  and  drown- 
ing all  hands,  as  her  sister  did  in  a  hard  "norther  "  off 
Vera  Cruz  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  Flirt  was  the 
only  vessel  with  a  pennant  in  the  river  except  a  queer, 
pretentious    looking   guar  da    costa,   with    a    red   stripe 


238  TALES    FOR    THE    MAKINE3. 

around  her  sides,  a  lot  of  gingerbread  ^YOvk  about  the 
bow  and  stern,  with  a  big,  clumsy  gun  amidships,  but 
without  sails  or  rigging. 

Though  the  sun  was  getting  up,  there  was  nothing 
stirring  on  board  the  brig  save  a  sleepy  quarter  master 
hanging  over  the  tafFrail,  with  a  spy  glass  clutched  tight, 
apparently,  in  his  embrace,  while  on  the  little  platform 
of  a  topgallant  forecastle  stood  a  sentry  leaning  upon 
his  musket,  and  seeming  to  be  examining  something 
remarkable  down  the  barrel.  I  noticed  that  the  awn- 
ings were  spread,  and  that  underneath  they  were  lined 
with  various  national  flags,  while  the  curtains  of  the 
after  part  were  also  decked  with  party-colored  bunting. 
From  all  these  external  evidences,  I  surmised  that  there 
had  been  a  festivity,  such  as  a  ball  or  funcion  of  some 
kind,  on  board,  the  previous  night.  Presently  the  bell 
struck  four,  denoting  six  o'clock.  The  marine  brought 
himself  suddenly  to  an  order,  and  sung  out,  "  Orll's 
well."  This  startled  the  man  with  the  spy  glass,  who,  in 
trying  mechanically  to  bring  that  instrument  to  his  op- 
tics, knocked  his  tarpaulin  overboard,  and  thus  brought 
his  drowsy  faculties  -into  existence  once  more.  By  and 
by  a  feeble  whistle  was  heard,  followed  by  a  languid 
call  of  "  All  hands  up  hammicks."  It  was  a  good  while 
before  the  men  came  up  from  below,  like  drony  bees, 
with  their  sleeping  gear  lashed  up  and  balanced  on  their 
shoulders,  preparatory  to  having  it  stowed  in  the  net- 
tings.    This  duty  was  no   sooner  executed  than  a  ^boat 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  239 

"was  got  alongside  from  the  swinging  boom,  and  her 
crew,  followed  by  stewards  with  baskets,  and  a  midship- 
man, tumbled  over  the  side  into  her,  and,  shoving  off, 
pulled  lazily  to  the  shore. 

I  happened  to  be  seated  on  a  rough-hewn  rudder  of 
a  coasting  craft,  in  the  midst  of  a  small  coterie  of  black 
ladies,  who  had  just  landed  from  a  canoe,  with  enormous 
flat  trays  of  oranges  and  ripe  bananas,  as  the  Flirt's 
jolly  boat  touched  the  landing.  The  crew  laid  in  their 
oars,  and  lounging  listlessly  over  the  rowlocks,  shaded 
their  eyes  with  their  hats,  and  went  off  to  sleep.  The 
younker,  too,  who  steered  the  boat,  —  a  freckled  faced  lit- 
tle fellow,  —  was  apparently  inoculated  with  the  prevail- 
ing epidemic  ;  for,  after  tucking  a  leg  under  him  on  the 
stern  sheets,  he  swayed  it  up  and  down  with  both  hands 
on  the  heel,  so  that,  with  his  peculiar  physical  organiza- 
tion, he  made  a  noise  with  the  knee  pan  similar  to  a 
rattling  volley  of  exploding  percussion  caps  ;  and,  with 
his  head  supported  by  the  backboard,  he  went  to  sleep 
also. 

I  could  not  get  a  fair  view  of  his  face  at  first;  but 
when  I  did,  I  recognized  an  old  acquaintance  of  my 
own  immediate  "  faderland,"  from  a  place  called  the 
Dismal  Swamp,  whose  name  was  Archy  Makeen.  He 
was  a  warm-hearted,  brave  little  fellow,  and  being,  like 
Michael  Cassio,  "a  great  arithmetician,"  he  bids  fair  to 
become  one  of  the  most  scientific  savans  the  country 
can  boast  of. 


240  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

"  Hillo,  Mak,"  I  exclaimed  ;  "  how  are  you  ?  "  He 
started  up  a  bit,  but,  not  observing  me,  was  again  relaps- 
ing into  his  former  complaint,  when  I  added,  "  Take  me 
on  board,  will  you  ?  "  When  seeing  me  seated  amid 
the  masses  of  fruit,  attired  in  my  pale  nankeen  jacket  and 
trousers,  albeit  a  trifle  yellow  looking,  both  from  ex- 
posure and  association,  he  squeaked  out,  with  his  eyes 
still  only  half  open,  "  Take  you  on  board  ?  D'ye  think 
any  body  wants  to  suck  you  for  an  orange  ?  "  "  Yes," 
I  retorted,  "  when  they  eat  you  first  for  a  pickle." 

"  By  Jimminy,  Gringo,  is  that  you?  Bless  me,  I  didn't 
know  you,  at  first ;  we  had  a  dance  and  frolic  on  board 
all  night,  and  I'm  so  tired  and  noddy  I  can  hardly  see 
now.  Come,  jump  in,  and  give  us  your  hand."  I 
jumped  into  the  boat,  embraced  my  friend,  and  sitting 
beside  him  on  the  thawts,  we  made  a  mutual  confession 
of  our  sins. 

In  about  an  hour,  the  stewards  of  the  messes  returned 
with  their  marketing,  and  we  rowed  off  to  the  brig. 
The  decks  had  just  been  washed  down,  the  bright  flags 
detached  from  the  awnings,  and  the  vessel  assuming  a 
man-of-war-like  trim  and  order. 

I  made  a  salaam  to  the  mate  in  charge  of  the  watch, 
who  was  standing  in  a  puddle  of  sand  and  water,  near 
one  of  the  carronade  slides,  and  asked  permission  to  see 
the  captain. 

"  0,  certainly  !  "  he  yawned ;  '^  you'll  find  him,  in 
all  human  probability,  down  in  his  cabin."     Without 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARIXES.  241 

further  leave,  I  quietly  descended  the  companion  way, 
abaft  the  wheel.  It  was  quite  dark  when  I  reached  the 
lower  deck  ;  but  feeling  about,  I  soon  found  the  knob 
of  the  cabin  door,  and  in  I  walked.  The  rosy  light  of 
morning  was  streaming  in  through  the  stern  ports,  (par- 
tially obscured,  however,  by  a  brace  of  water  monkeys 
and  claret  jugs,  in  flannel  jackets,)  and  the  little,  long, 
narrow  skylight,  cut  in  the  deck  above  ;  so  that  I  caught, 
in  a  few  seconds,  a  good  view  of  the  premises. 

A  table  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  cabin,  upon  which 
were  lying  a  few  odd  gloves,  part  of  a  fan,  a  small  heap 
of  flowers,  bits  of  ribbons,  a  single  garter,  and  some 
books.  A  large,  square  mirror  filled  a  panel  between 
the  ports  abaft,  which  was  also  profusely  decorated  with 
the  same  style  of  articles  of  female  ornament  and  ap- 
paVel  as  were  thrown  about  the  table,  with  the  addition 
of  a  strip  of  a  lace  veil,  and  a  multitude  of  cards  aiid 
notes  stuck  in  the  frame.  Forward  stood  a  sideboard, 
covered  with  glasses,  bits  of  cake,  a  pitcher  half  full 
of  punch,  and  a  number  of  empty  decanters.  The 
painted  floor  cloth  seemed  to  have  been  inlaid  with  a 
compost  of  cake,  flowers,  and  wine. 

There  was  a  bulkhead  on  one  side  of  the  buflet, 
having  a  door  leading  into  a  pantry  ;  and  through  the 
fine  lattice  work  I  observed  a  negro  boy  sound  asleep, 
with  a  large  woman's  comb  stuck  in  his  wool,  and  his 
face  buried  in  a  dish  of  chicken  salad.  On  each  side 
of  the  cabin  was  a  spacious  berth,  handsomely  draped 


J2'12  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

by  blue  curtains,  running  on  heavy  gilt  rods  above. 
Both  of  these  berths  were  occupied  ;  one  by  a  stoutish, 
swarthy,  hairy  individual,  with  an  immense  corporation, 
who  looked,  as  he  lay  on  his  back,  like  a  huge  demijohn 
with  one  leg.  He  was  evidently  a  native,  and  from  the 
appearances  around  his  pillow  and  his  toilet,  he  had, 
perhaps,  staid  longer  away  from  his  domicile  than  he 
had  any  idea  of,  when  he  left. 

In  the  opposite  couch  I  at  once  recognized  Lieutenant 
Hazy.  He  was  divested  of  his  trousers  only,  and  there 
he  reposed,  attired  in  a  full-dress  coat,  epaulets,  a 
bouquet  of  roses  peeping  from  the  folds  of  his  cravat, 
and  varnished  boots  ;  withal,  he  had  the  stump  of  a 
cigar  stuck  between  his  lips,  which  the  sleeper  puffed 
at  regular,  snoring  intervals,  with  much  apparent  satis- 
faction. 

I  hesitated  a  moment  whether  to  retire  or  present  my- 
self;  but  a  few  words  uttered  by  the  commander  of  the 
Flirt  induced  me  to  suppose  that  he  was  about  to  awake, 
and  I  accordingly  approached  and  took  him  by  the 
hand.  Thereupon  he  murmured,  in  the  most  soul- 
beseeching  and  touching  accents,  ^'  Madam,  I  love  your 
daughter."  Again  I  ventured  to  give  him  a  rough  push, 
when  I  was  assailed  with,  ^'  Beautiful  maiden,  I  adore 
thee."  Now,  the  fact  that  any  sane  person  could  possibly 
address  me  as  a  virgin  of  great  personal  attractions, 
quite  exasperated  me ;  and  with  considerable  feeling,  1 
hitched  on  to  the  dreamer's  boots,  and  nearly  jerked 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAIIIXE3.  S43 

him  off  the  bed.  Upon  the  instant,  he  started  as  if 
struck  by  a  galvanic  battery  ;  and  sitting  bolt  upright, 
he  began  with,  — 

"  Don  Padillo,  you  smell  most  villanously  of  garlic, 
and  I  decline  to  wed  the  cream-colored  Brazilian  heiress, 
unless  you  pay  down  a  conto  of  reis,  and  a  cup  of  coffee 
all  round,  to  commemorate  tlie  happy  eve " 

Here  he  got  his  eyes  open  ;  and,  after  closing  them 
again,  and  then  winking  rapidly  to  himself,  as  it  were, 
to  recall  his  scattered  senses,  he  burst  out  into  a  hearty 
laugh,  and  shouted, — 

**  Why,  you  miserable  whelp,  where  did  you  hop 
from  ?     I  was  in  hopes  you  were  dead." 

Before  I  had  time  to  reply  to  this  Christian  address, 
the  demijohn-built  Brazilian  gentleman  in  the  opposite 
berth,  disturbed  by  the  noise,  rolled  over,  and  groaning 
in  great  anguish,  demanded,  in  husky  Portuguese,  — 

"  O  Senhor !  Co^o  do  rum  !  O,  agua,  por  honra  dos 
santos !  " 

"  Who  the  blazes  is  that  ?  "  said  Hazy,  as  he  stopped 
short  himself  and  glanced  across  the  cabin,  when,  as  his 
eye  caught  the  dark  lineaments  of  the  native,  he  threw 
himself  back  on  the  couch,  and  elevating  his  toes  until 
they  touched  the  carlings  of  the  ceiling  over  his  head,  he 
roared,  like  a  maniac,  — 

"Heaven  be  merciful  to  me  —  it's  the  governor  !  O, 
murder  !  I  made  a  speech  to  him,  as  I'm  a  sinner,  — 
offered  to  revolutionize  the  country,  —  and  gave  him  a 


S-li  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

salute  of  forty  guns  ;  fired  away  all  the  cartridges  filled 
in  the  brig's  magazine,  at  midnight  too ;  and,  Jesu,  I 
believe  I  am  to  marry  an  old  blowzy  daughter  he  owns, 
the  moment  a  dispensation  can  be  procured  from  the 
pope." 

Then,  assuming  a  serious  air  and  voice,  he  sonorously 
exclaimed,  *'  O  gobernador,  come  sta  los  calderas  1  co- 
bras 1  —  coppers,  I  mean." 

"  Ah,  agua,  agua  !  "  he  replied,  in  manifest  agony, 
as  he  cast  his  gaze,  in  the  greatest  surprise  and  dismay, 
around  the  Flirt's  cabin. 

"  Steward  !  Caesar  !  "  yelled  the  captain,  "  bring  the 
governor  a  goblet  of  water,  to  scald  his  stomach,  for 
he's  swallowed  a  hair  of  his  tooth  brush,  and  if  I'm  not 
terribly  mistaken,  the  entire  handle  with  it." 

At  this  epoch,  his  guest  gave  indications  of  being  un- 
well ;  and  Hazy,  springing  to  his  feet,  opened  the  pantry 
door,  and  flinging  the  nosegay  into  his  domestic's  face, 
exclaimed,  "  Quick,  you  discolored  African,  or  the  gov- 
ernor will  die  on  our  hands." 

"Water,  together  with  other  renovating  stimulants, 
was  soon  procured  and  applied  ;  after  which,  the  ro- 
tund, elderly  individual  was  carefully  buckled  out  of 
the  berth,  and  shouldered  to  the  upper  deck.  During 
this  performance.  Commander  Hazy  laughed  with  his 
*'  lungs  military,"  until  I  thought  he  would  end  in  con- 
vulsions, before  he  could  recover  breath  to  converse 
with  me. 


TALES    FOU   THE    MAKINES.  245 

''  Capital  fun  !  he's  the  ouvidor  of  the  province  ;  but 
I'm  sorrv  to  say,  for  the  sobriety  of  his  order,  that  he 
has  allowed  his  fine  genius  to  become  a  little  muddy 
and  leesy,  oAvinGf  to  overdosinsr  his  system  with  a  mild 
decoction  of  punch  I  brewed  last  night  from  green  tea, 
sugar,  and  rum.  He  came  on  board  officially,  I  recol- 
lect, to  consult  me  on  important  business  ;  but  he  soon 
forgot  his  mission,  and  the  last  I  remember  of  him,  he 
was  spinning  round  like  a  teetotum  with  that  vinegar 
villain  Makeen." 

By  this  time  Hazy  had  resumed  his  every-day  rig  of 
undress  jacket  and  white  trousers ;  then,  giving  his 
glossy  locks  a  rakish  curl,  he  winked  at  himself  with 
complacency  in  the  glass  \  took  down  a  bunch  of  faded 
flowers  from  the  corner  of  the  mirror,  where  it  had 
been  secured  by  a  large,  double  pronged  hair  pin  ;  held 
it  gingerly  and  sportively,  on  one  finger,  towards  me, 
and  thus  discoursed  :  — 

"  Virgil,  my  young  Epsom,  who,  it  seems  to  me,  was 
much  better  fitted  to  plough  the  land  than  the  salt  bil- 
lows, tells  us  that,  in  his  day,  weary  mariners,  after  long 
voyages  of  perhaps  a  week's  duration  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, were  wont,  upon  arriving  in  port,  to  decorate 
their  ships  with  garlands.*  What  particular  style  of 
vegetable  matter  these  garlands  were  composed  of,  I  am 
at  a  loss  to  conjecture  ;  I  incline,  however,  to  sea-weed 

*  "  Cell  presses,  qiium  jam  portum  tetigere  carinse, 

Puppibus  et  loeti  nautae  imposuere  coronas."  —  Georgic.  I. 

21* 


2iG  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

or  hemp  —  and  so,  also,  that  amateur  mariner,  Ovid, 
observes^  with  considerable  thankfulness,  — 

'  Now  to  our  port  we  are  arrived  ;  bring  down 
The  jolly  wreath,  our  weary  bark  to  crown.' 

And  thus,  in  emulation  of  those  antiquities,  I  always 
make  a  passion  of  surrounding  myself  with  all  such 
souvenirs  of  hope  or  affection.  Why,  I've  that  cocked 
hat  box,  there,  so  full  of  locks  of  hair,  of  every 
hue  and  length,  many  of  them  false  ones  too,  —  I 
mean  of  course  the  hearts,  not  the  hair,  of  the  bewitch- 
ing creatures, — that  there  is  no  longer  room  for  my 
hat.  I  am  hesitating  whether  to  devote  them  to  be 
fashioned  into  a  quantity  of  bracelets,  or  for  a  pillow 
to  dream  upon ;  for  you  know,"  he  added,  heroically, 

*'  *  Fair  tresses  man's  imperial  race  insnare, 
And  beauty  draws  us  with  a  single  hair.' 

Meanwhile,  let's  have  breakfast. 

*'  Steward  !  boy  !  where's  that  Csesar  ?  "  he  exclaimed, 
jerking  the  bell  rope  violently ;  when  in  burst  a  laugh- 
ing-eyed little  cuffee,  as  black  and  shining  as  his  mas- 
ter's varnished  boots,  with  the  comb  still  sticking  in 
his  wool,  together  with  some  remnants  of  the  chicken 
salad. 

The  little  lump  of  jet  stood  before  the  captairt,  put 
on  an  air  of  exceeding  gravity,  folded  his  arms,  and  in  a 
sepulchral  voice  began  —  "  Imperial  Caesar,"  —  here  he 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  2  4T 

hesitated,  —  "Dead/'  said  the  captain,  —  "dead,  him 
turn  to  clay,  and  'top  de  hole  to  keep  de  wine  away." 

"  Cease,"  broke  in  Hazy ;  "  let  there  be  fruits,  the 
orange,  the  avocato,  the  fig,  the  cheramoya,  if  there  be 
any  in  the  empire,  the  sugar  banana,  melons,  and  the 
pine.  Vanish ! "  Imperial  Caesar  passed  away  like  a 
cloud  before  a  hurricane,  when  his  master  turned  to  me 
with,  "  Youngster,  I  am  dying  to  hear  your  adventures  ; 
but  I  never  feel  tip  top  in  the  early  morning  until  I 
have  eaten  of  the  delicious  fruits  of  these  climes  ;  for 
as  the  Spaniard  will  tell  you,  they  be  gold  in  the  morn- 
ing, silver  at  noon,  and  lead  at  night  —  regular  bullets, 
in  fact." 

The  steward  presently  appeared,  and  swept  off  the 
gages  d" amour  from  the  table  into  a  knife  box.  He  then 
laid  a  cloth,  and  distributing  piles  of  fruit  upon  it,  the 
commander  fell  to  and  tried  his  prowess  upon  a  variety 
of  the  tempting,  luscious  delicacies  around.  He  then 
rubbed  the  half  of  a  lime  over  his  teeth,  used  the  pulpy 
rind  of  a  melon  by  way  of  nail  brush,  immersed  his 
face  and  hands  in  water,  rubbed  himself  dry  with  a  nap- 
kin, and  starting  up,  stamped  his  foot,  placed  his  cap 
jantily  on  one  side  of  his  head,  whistled  deep  down  his 
chest,  and  asked  me  to  ascend  with  him  to  the  upper 
regions. 

The  brig  had  been  put  in  thorough  order,  the  guns 
were  run  out  in  their  ports,  the  decks  white  and  dry, 
the  ropes  neatly  flemished  down  in  flat  nests  of  circles. 


J348  TALES    Fun    THE    MART>*ES. 

the  crew  in  their  tidy  white  frocks  and  trousers,  and 
nothing  was  visible  to  recall  the  gayeties  of  the  preced- 
ing night. 

I  paced  up  and  down  the  quarter  deck  for  some 
time,  hearing  and  relating  the  news  of  the  past  six  or 
seven  months,  when  a  boat  pulled  alongside  from  the 
guarda-costa  anchored  near,  and  a  shabbily  dressed 
Brazilian  reefer,  guardians  of  the  sea,  as  they  call  them- 
selves, came  over  the  side,  and  presented  a  great,  square, 
official-looking  document  to  Commander  Hazy. 

"  I  say,"  said  this  latter  personage,  while  regarding 
the  contents  of  the  paper  through  his  eye  glass  —  "  you 
read  Portuguese ;  tell  me  what  all  this  means  ;  am  I  to 
fight  or  marry,  or  both  ?  It's  a  direct  demand,  a  Voutrancc 
from  the  governor,  I  think." 

I  took  the  letter,  and  found  that  it  was  a  polite  re- 
quest from  the  ouvidor,  —  the  captain's  friend,  —  for  a 
personal  interview  at  the  communal  upon  some  topic  not 
mentioned  in  the  cartel. 

"  O,  certainly  !  "  ejaculated  Hazy  ;  '^  come  with  all 
the  gusto  in  the  mundo !  perhaps  his  daughter  won't 
have  me,  though  ;  never  mind.  Heaven  only  knows 
what  fate  I'm  reserved  for ;  but  I'm  on  a  dead  lee  shore 
now." 

Meanwhile  he  volunteered  to  accompany  me  to  take 
a  sad  farewell  of  the  padron  and  his  charming  family. 
The  **  Rake  "  was  piped  away,  the  name  of  the  Flirt's 
gig,  and  when  manned,  the  commander  desired  his  exec- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  249 

utive  officer,  in  case  lie  did  not  return  on  board  precisely 
at  midnight,  to  regard  him  as  married,  to  fire  minute 
guns  until  daylight,  and  then  to  blow  the  brig  up  ^yith 
all  hands. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  were  tramping  through  the  hot 
streets  to  the  house  where  our  friends  were  staying. 
We  met  the  jolly  padron  at  the  doorway,  and  the  meet- 
ing with  Hazy  was  excessively  cordial.  They  first  flew 
into  each  other's  arms,  and,  similar  to  a  pair  of  amorous 
loggerhead  turtles  with  their  flippers,  gently  patted  one 
another  on  the  back.  Then  thev  srave  a  simultaneous 
shout  of  joy ;  disengaging  themselves  a  moment,  and  re- 
garding each  other  pleasantly,  they  rushed  again  to  an 
embrace,  Hazy  ejaculating,  "  Too  much  pleasure  for  one 
day,  by  Jove  !  "  while  the  padron  laughed  and  shouted, 
"  Damme,  if  you  ain't  alive  and  sober  yet." 

As  their  feelings  calmed  down  to  a  long  series  of  hand 
shakings,  after  giving  vent  to  their  sentiments,  the  light 
rustle  of  ladies'  dresses  was  heard  in  the  corridor,  and 
at  the  moment  appeared  the  comely  excellent  matron, 
marshalling  her  fair  don^ellas.  Commander  Hazy's  sal- 
utation, though  not  marked  by  the  same  warmth  or 
hilarity  as  to  the  padron,  was  still  quite  as  impressive. 

"  Madam,"  he  said,  taking  the  mamma  by  the  fingers, 
and  bowing  at  the  same  time  deprecatingly  to  the  girls, 
"  you  behold  one  who  has  borne  your  image  in  his 
inmost  heart  for  many  long  and  tedious  months.  Noth- 
ing but  the  fond  hope  of  again  beholding  you,  and  the 


250  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

delight  experienced  in  remarking  that  the  delicate  pa- 
dron,  your  husband,  is  not  in  robust  health,  has  induced 
him  to  continue  on  life's  dreary  pilgrimage."  Then 
turning  to  the  young  ladies,  he  continued,  "  I  trust  I 
am  to  have  the  felicity  of  conveying  you  all  on  board 
my  ship  to  St.  Catharine's  :  accommodations  on  a  stu- 
pendous scale  ;  cabins  fitted  in  the  most  gorgeous  style  ; 
music  and  dancing  every  evening,  and  private  theatricals 
in  the  morning  ;  for  to  gratify  your  taste  for  the  legiti- 
mate drama,  I  have  procured  at  great  trouble  and 
enormous  expense  an  African  prince,  now  in  disguise, 
who  recites  Shakspeare  like  an  angel ;  that  is,  if  there 
ever  was  an  angel  so  much  tanned  by  celestial  fires  as 
my  prince." 

The  ladies  made  suitable  acknowledgments  for  these 
courtesies,  and  regretting  they  could  not  all  accept  the 
proffered  hospitality,  withdrew  and  left  the  commander 
to  confer  with  the  padron. 

'^  I'm  glad  to  find  you  in  Santos,  Hazy,  for  there's  a 
pack  of  rascally  fellows  in  this  neighborhood,  who  have 
been  plundering  and  cheating  the  whole  coast  from  Rio 
here.  They  have  a  ship  load  of  counterfeit  copper,  and 
barter  it  away  for  rum,  castor  oil,  mandioca,  coffee, 
sugar,  or  what  not,  giving  such  high  prices  that  thus 
far  they  have  found  no  lack  of  customers.  Now,  as  I 
have  been  robbed  of  some  thousands  of  arrobas  of  sugar, 
and  believe  that  some  of  you  Yankees  have  introduced 
the  trafiic,  I  want  your  assistance  to  entrap  the  villains." 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  251 

'^  Certainly,"  replied  Hazy.  '^  I'm  your  man ;  do 
every  thing  by  j^ roper  requisition  from  authorities,  you 
sabe,  if  to  put  down  any  thing  against  bonos  mores ;  but 
while  I  think  of  it,  I  am  desired  to  make  a  visit  upon 
the  ouvidor  this  morning,  about  marrying  his  daughter, 
I  believe ;  so  come  along  and  witness  the  compact." 

''  Ay !  Why,  man,  I  gave  the  information  about  my 
business  not  two  hours  ago,  and  it's  upon  that  matter 
he  wants  to  see  you." 

Upon  their  return  I  gathered  that  the  negotiation  had 
been  conducted  in  due  form,  and  moreover,  the  smaller 
vessel  of  the  smugglers  had  ah-eady  been  seen  off  the 
coast,  only  waiting  for  a  wind  to  come  into  the  river  and 
anchor.  It  was  arranged  that  the  troop  of  militia,  who 
were  hourly  expected,  should  take  up  their  quarters  at 
the  old  fort,  and  that  one  of  the  boats  from  the  Flirt 
should  seize  the  vessel,  while  the  honest  traders  were  in 
the  act  of  making  their  purchases  on  shore. 

Two  days  we  waited  very  patiently,  the  Flirt  get- 
ting ready  for  sea.  Meanwhile,  the  ouvidor  sent  a 
message  to  say,  that  the  schooner  had  arrived  with  a 
very  few  hands,  the  owners  had  communicated  vfith  the 
town,  passed  the  Alfandega  as  a  coaster  coming  for  a 
cargo  of  produce,  and  a  quantity  of  coffee  and  sugar 
sirup  was  to  be  delivered,  the  next  day  but  one,  at  the 
landing  near  the  anchoras^e.  That  nisrht  the  briar  of  war 
got  under  way,  with  a  light  air  and  her  boats  towing 
ahead.     Before   daylight  she  had   dropped  down  to  the 


2o2  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

mouth  of  the  inlet,  and  let  go  an  anchor  outside  the  smug- 
gler. The  latter  vessel  was  simply  a  heavy-built  coast- 
ing drogher,  with  fore  and  aft  rig,  and  considerable 
capacity  for  stowage.  In  the  morning  we  saw  a  quan- 
tity of  articles  hoisted  on  board  —  bags,  pipas,  and  hides 
We  noticed  also  with  the  spy  glass,  that  she  had  some 
eight  or  ten  hands,  and  a  woman  in  a  man's  hat,  who 
seemed  to  bear  a  prominent  part  in  the  work  going  on. 

In  the  evening,  about  ten  o'clock,  while  I  was  sitting  on 
the  taffrail  of  the  Flirt,  listening  to  the  fun  and  badinage 
between  the  padron  and  the  commander,  a  yavrl  boat 
passed  near  us,  steering  for  a  small  pulperia  near  the 
beach,  where  lights  were  twinkling.  From  a  word  or 
two  spoken  by  the  sitters,  I  thought  I  detected  some- 
thing familiar  in  the  sound,  though  I  could  hardly 
tell  why.  In  a  moment,  however,  a  glimmering  sus- 
picion began  to  dawn  upon  me,  that  the  miscreants 
whom  I  had  seen  in  the  crimping  house  at  Rio  might 
be  in  some  manner  mixed  up  with  these  smugglers.  I 
recalled  also  the  conversation  I  had  overheard  relative 
to  the  proposition  made  to  Lowther  concerning  spurious 
coin  ;  but  as  the  matter  had  been  received  with  great  dis- 
dain, and  as  it  had  been  ascertained  afterwards  that  he 
and  his  brutal  friends  had  been  encountered  journeying 
far  into  the  interior,  it  was  not  altogether  probable  that 
they  would  again  so  soon  show  their  faces  so  far  south. 
Nevertheless,  I  made  known  my  suspicions  to  Hazy. 

"  Very  well,"  said  he ;  *^  let's  get  into  the  gig,  douce- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  25S 

menty  by  and  by,  so  as  not  to  alarm  tbem,  and  go  on 
shore  and  take  a  peep  at  their  quality." 

The  gig  was  lying  at  the  swinging  boom,  and  Makeen, 
who  was  midshipman  of  the  watch,  got  her  alongside. 
Imperial  Caesar  was  then  summoned,  who,  by  the  way, 
was  never  permitted  to  sleep  at  night,  and  with  a  bun- 
dle of  cigars  we  tumbled  into  the  boat,  and  quietly 
shoved  off. 

We  had  about  a  half  a  mile  to  row,  and  then  landed 
a  little  below  the  pulperia.  We  secured  the  boat,  and 
leaving  her  to  be  protected  by  the  little  cuffy,  we  walked 
along  the  shingly  beach  until  we  came  to  the  drogher's 
yawl.  Her  painter  had  been  made  fast  to  a  large  stone 
lying  on  the  strand,  and  there  appeared  to  be  no  person 
in  her.  On  approaching  her  bow,  however,  we  saw  a 
boy,  about  fifteen  years  old,  lying  sound  asleep  in  the 
bottom. 

At  the  padron's  request  we  moved  away,  while  he 
aroused  the  .  lad,  and  learned  that  the  skipper  of  the 
coaster  and  two  companions  had  walked  over  towards 
Santos,  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  by  land,  though 
by  following  the  wide  bends  of  the  river,  it  was  four 
times  that  measure  by  water.  They  were  to  return,  so 
said  the  boy,  in  a  couple  of  hours,  and  have  supper  at 
the  pulperia.  All  this  the  padron  squeezed  out  under 
the  plea  that  he  had  some  sugar  to  send  on  board  the 
schooner.  At  this  juncture  we  heard  a  great  cackling 
of  fowls  and  turkeys  at  the  huts  near  by,  and  on  pre- 
2^ 


II 


254:  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

tence  of  buying  a  bottle  of  Jcesash^  we  knocked  at  the 
low  door  of  the  grog  shop. 

"  Entre  r.Tzce,"  said  a  harsh  voice  from  ^vithin ;  and 
pushing  open  the  rickety  portal,  we  entered  a  square, 
unplastered  enclosure,  with  a  counter  on  one  side,  where 
were  ranoed  a  few  bottles  of  as^uardiente  on  the  back 
shelves,  with  a  lot  of  small  tumblers  in  the  foreground, 
while  around  the  walls  were  strung  bunches  of  onions, 
strings  of  garlic,  and  other  delicacies  in  the  way  of 
dried  fish,  jerked  beef,  and  so  forth. 

An  old,  toothless  woman,  of  about  sixty-five  summers, 
received  us  with  a  sharp  nasal  croak  of  "  Q^ue  he  isso  1 '' 

The  padron  stated  our  business,  and  requested  to  know 
if  there  was  any  thing  to  eat.  On  glancing  stealthily  at 
the  uniforms  of  the  commander  and  his  subs,  Makeen 
and  myself,  she  assumed  a  very  close  air,  and  told  us 
there  was  nothing  but  bread  and  cheese. 

"  What  are  all  those  fowls  fluttering  for  ?  "  put  in  the 
padron,  while  we  could  see  a  bright  blazing  fire,  gleam- 
ing through  the  up  and  down  palings  of  the  cozinha 
beyond,  and  also  a  long  table  laid  with  common  delft 
plates  and  other  things,  in  a  large  room  adjoining. 

"  Que  cousa  vossa-merce  1 "  she  inquired,  when  the 
padron  rej)eated  his  interrogation,  "  Bah !  que  te  im- 
porta,  meteivos  ao  redor.^^  "  None  of  your  business  ;  be 
off!  tack  ship !  "  was  all  the  satisfiiction  we  got. 

We  made  good  our  excuse,  however,  by  purchasing  a 
bottle   of  vile  liquor,  and  went    away  convinced    that 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  255 

there  was  nothing  of  consequence  to  be  gained  in  the 
way  of  information  from  that  lady. 

We  again  emerged  upon  the  clear  white  beach,  where 
the  water  of  the  river  was  rippling  with  a  low,  tinkling 
wash  against  the  pebbles,  when,  *^  What  the  dense  is 
that  noise  ?  "  suddenly  exclaimed  Hazy  to  the  padron, 
as  we  heard  a  sharp  splash  on  the  water,  as  if  a  broad 
plank  had  been  dashed  with  great  force  upon  the  sur- 
face, followed  by  moaning,  wheetling  cries,  like  coarse 
files  grating  together. 

"  You'll  find  out,"  said  the  padron,  laughing,  "  should 
you  chance  to  get  too  near  one  of  those  half-dried  mo- 
rasses in  that  jungle ;  for  this  is  the  love-making  season 
of  the  caymans,  and  one  of  them  would  think  nothing 
of  taking  such  a  ripe  cherry  as  you  at  a  single  bite. 
Just  hear  the  gentle  creatures  serenading  each  other,"  he 
continued,  as  crash  after  crash,  and  plaintive  wails  like 
those  of  human  beings,  came  up  out  of  the  steaming 
heat  in  the  dense  thickets  of  mangles.  We  could  hear 
distinctly  the  snapping  of  their  heavy  jaws,  and  the 
rasping  of  their  coarse  sides  as  they  rubbed  one  against 
the  other. 

"  Why,  Hazy,  I've  known  those  fresh  water  lagoons, 
in  the  dry  season,  so  crowded  with  alligators,  many  of 
them  over  twenty  feet  long,  that  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
in  certain  places  but  their  great  scaly  backs  above  the 
water.  When  laying  their  eggs,  it  is  dangerous  to  go 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  their  hot  rush-built  nests. 


256  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

SO  mind  your  toes,  and  steer  clear  of  the  red  monsters  in 
particular." 

It  was  a  fine  niglit ;  so  we  took  a  swim  in  tlie  river, 
and  waited  a  long  time  ;  but  as  there  appeared  no  imme- 
diate prospect  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  schooner 
coming  back,  —  "  And  even  if  they  do,"  said  the  padron, 
"  it  won't  set  us  ahead  any,  for  we  shall  certainly  have 
their  copper-bottomed  bark  fast  on  the  morrow,"  —  the 
commander  determined  to  go  on  board  again. 

I  felt  so  curious,  however,  I  asked  leave  to  stay,  and 
Mak  joined  me ;  which  Hazy  granted,  telling  us  that 
in  case  we  wished  to  get  on  board  the  brig  before  day- 
light, we  must  walk  along  abreast  the  vessel  and  hail. 
With  this  understanding,  they  waked  the  Roman  em- 
peror, and  shoved  off  for  the  Flirt. 

My  friend  and  I,  accordingly,  threw  ourselves  at  full 
length  on  the  sand,  in  the  warm  night,  chatting  away 
the  hours,  until  by  some  fatality  we  fell  sound  asleep. 
We  were  aroused  by  the  sound  of  voices  passing  ap- 
parently quite  near  to  us.  Raising  myself  on  an  elbow 
and  fetching  Mak  a  kick,  we  both  saw,  passing  over 
the  ridge  of  shingle,  a  party  of  six  or  eight  persons, 
who  were  laughing  and  talking  in  great  glee.  We 
watched  them  until  they  entered  the  pulperia,  where  the 
lights  were  yet  burning,  and  where  there  still  seemed 
every  indication  of  a  feast.  For  some  minutes  there 
were  several  persons  running  in  and  out  of  the  build- 
ings ;  but  in  a  short  space  they  all  seemed  to  have  hived 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  257 

in  the  main  hut ;  so,  picking  ourselves  up  we  cautiously 
approached. 

It  was  a  good  quarter  of  an  hour  before  we  could  get 
within  ear  shot,  or  find  an  aperture  in  the  cane  and  mud 
constructed  house,  to  hear  and  see  what  was  going  on 
within.  My  friend  Mak  got  the  first  squint,  and  was 
so  tickled,  inwardly,  by  what  he  beheld,  that  no  per- 
suasions of  mine  could  induce  him  to  retire. 

At  last,  however,  he  fell  back,  and  whispered  in  my 
ear,  "  It's  the  most  extraordinary  anatomical  collection 
I  ever  yet  saw  for  nothing  outside  a  museum  !  Take  a 
peep." 

I  lost  no  time,  and  through  the  angle  of  the  building, 
where  the  sides  had  been  imperfectly  joined,  I  looked 
in.  One  rapid  glance  was  all  I  needed,  and  turning 
round  to  Mak  with  my  blood  boiling  like  pitch,  I 
said,  "  Give  me  one  of  your  pistols  for  a  second." 
At  the  same  time  I  put  my  arms  around  his  waist, 
and  had  nearly  grasped  the  handles  of  the  brace  in 
his  belt,  when  he  arrested  the  movement,  and  tugging 
me  a  little  way  off,  to  the  edge  of  the  thicket,  he 
demanded,  "  Why,  what  a  devil  you  are !  What's  the 
matter  ? " 

"  Give  me  those  weapons,"  I  repeated,  ''  or  I'll  — 
Here  I  made  another  snatch,  but  evading  me  as  before, 
he  retreated  still  farther  along  ^he  bank  of  the  river, 
where  I  followed  him ;  and  then,  though  nearly  beside 
myself  with  passion,  Mak  succeeded  in  keeping  me 
22* 


258  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

quiet,  and  thus  arriving  at  a  proper  understanding  of 
the  causes  which  had  produced  my  excitement. 

I  need  not  tell  you  at  this  particular  moment  what  1 
had  seen,  but  merely  that  after  considerable  argument 
and  entreaty,  I  pledged  myself  to  be  prudent,  and  so 
induced  my  companion  to  lend  me  his  pistols,  while  he 
went  down  abreast  the  brig,  to  make  a  report  to  the 
commander.  I  presumed  that  a  requisition  would  be 
made  for  the  services  of  the  sojers  at  the  fort,  backed 
by  the  boats  of  the  Flirt.  All  this  I  felt  assured  would 
occupy  a  full  hour  to  carry  into  execution,  and  I  was  so 
fearful  lest  something  might  arise  to  mar  the  plan,  that 
I  could  hardly  resist  the  temptation  of  beginning  the 
war  myself.  As  my  companion  leaped  away  along  the 
beach,  I  stole  back  to  the  cane  hut. 

There  were  eight  persons  seated  at  a  long,  narrow 
table.  Five  of  them  were  evidently  Brazilians,  and  from 
their  respectable  appearance  and  dress,  I  took  them  to 
be  factors,  who  had  accompanied  the  smuggler's  people 
to  dispose  of  produce.  But  the  trio  of  worthies  who 
fascinated  me  was  the  Yankee  villain  Spuke,  ^laltese 
Joe,  and  the  sinister  face  of  Mag  Surf  herself.  This 
last-named  wretch  sat  at  the  head  of  the  board;  and 
when  I  first  looked  in  upon  them,  she  was  pledging 
a  measure  of  liquor  to  the  lank  Yankee,  saying,  as  she 
did  so,  in  polite  slang,  *^I  looks  to-wards  ye.  Beauty.'* 
To  which  he  replied,  "  I  has  your  eye,  marm  ;  "  while, 
at  the  same  time,  the  swarthy  Maltese  grinned,  showed 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  259 

his  single  tusk,  and  poured  out  a  few  drops  of  tlie  same 
fluid  from  a  brown  stone  jug  at  hand,  for  his  own  pri- 
vate refreshment. 

"  What  doos  them  fellers  agree  on,  Miss  Maggaret," 
drawled  out  Spuke  to  his  fair  partner,  after  she  had  been 
for  a  space  rattling  on  fluently  in  Portuguese  to  the  na- 
tives at  the  farther  end  of  the  table,  while  his  own 
green,  dilating,  wicked  holes  of  eyes  were  keeping  time 
to  a  movement  of  his  pointed  ears,  as  he  tried  to  divine 
the  lingo,  and  comprehend  all  about  the  talk.  "  They're 
not  going  to  git  eout  of  the  bargain,  be  they  ?  By  gosh  ! 
I'll  gin  some  on  'em  a  dose  if  they  thinks  to  lufl"  to 
wind'ard  of  one  o'  the  Spuke  family." 

"  Hush  that  wapperjaw,  will  ye  ?  "  said  Mag.  "  They 
haven't  any  thoughts  of  getting  off ;  in  fact  they  want  to 
sell  more  than  the  schooner'll  hold." 

"  Wal,  go  ahead.  Miss  Maggaret,"  returned  the  wily 
rascal,  as  he  seemed  satisfied  that  money  was  to  be  ma-lo  ; 
"but  don't  be  too  gin'rous  with  them  gingerbread  col- 
ored chaps.  We  pays  down  in  hard  chink,  yer  know, 
bootiful  coin,  fresh  from  the  Connecticut  mint,  with  a 
picter  of  the  world  surrounded  by  grass  and  roses  on 
one  side,  and  heaps  of  stars  and  the  emperor's  name  on 
t'other,  a  thousand  eighty-ray  pieces  in  a  bag,  and  no 
charge  fur  the  bag." 

Here  he  sniggered  in  an  excess  of  glee,  and  snapped 
his  middle  finger  and  thumb  on  the  head  of  the  Maltese 
with  so  sharp  a  rap,  that  it  made  him  start  and  scowl  in 
deep  disgust. 


260  TALES    TOR   THE    MARINES. 

Mag  was  attired  in  a  man's  coarse  straw  hat,  shirt, 
and  a  loose,  brown  linen  jacket  over  the  skirts  of  her 
dress.  She  still  had  the  same  malevolent  squint,  with 
inflamed-tipped  nose  and  cheek  bones ;  but  her  jaw 
seemed  to  move  out  of  its  natural  hinge,  as  it  were, 
and  her  enunciation  was  not  so  intelligible,  though  the 
tones  were  equally  shrill  and  harsh,  as  when  I  last 
heard  her  benevolent  wishes  expressed  to  Lowther  con- 
cerning my  throat. 

The  long  Elnathan  Spuke  was  In  the  same  rig  as  on 
our  first  acquaintance,  with  the  addition  of  a  blue  swal- 
low-tailed coat,  with  bright  brass  buttons,  secured  by 
one  button  around  his  mahogany-tinted  neck,  so  that  the 
sleeves  and  skirts  hung  down  his  back,  leaving  his  bony 
arms  free.  Before  him  lay  a  piece  of  coarse  paper,  on 
which  he  was  casting  up  accounts  by  the  aid  of  a  thick 
pencil,  wetting  it  every  time  he  made  a  mark. 

The  Maltese  seemed  to  have  an  eye  also  to  the  nego- 
tiations, but  employed  his  faculties  chiefly  on  a  long, 
black  cigar.  The  conversation  betwixt  ^Nlag  and  the 
Brazilians  was  long  and  earnest,  and  the  price  to  be  paid 
for  each  arroba  of  sugar,  pipa  of  rum,  alqueire  or 
quintal  of  one  stuff  or  another,  rice,  maize,  or  coffee, 
was  discussed,  bargained  for,  and  noted  down  by  the 
shrewd  Yankee.  The  boats  with  the  articles  were,  I 
understood,  to  be  down  the  river  soon  after  sunrise 
and  the  money,  at  a  stipulated  price,  was  to  be  paid,  as 
Spuke  observed,  in  ^^hard  chink."     But  not  apparently 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  261 

contented  with  the  purchases  already  made,  he,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  woman,  induced  the  natives  to 
sell  two  or  three  heavy  gold  rings  and  silver  suspender 
buckles  they  had  about  them  ;  and  he  finally  managed 
to  exchange  off  a  ponderous  watch  and  chain  —  which 
even  to  my  inexperienced  eyes  appeared  to  be  a  jap- 
anned or  bogus  contrivance  —  for  a  respectable  silver  af- 
fair, and  some  other  trinkets  to  boot ;  Spuke  remarking, 
vv'ith  a  chuckle,  that  the  "  dingy  flat  hadn't  much  expe- 
rience in  the  swoppin  line  of  business." 

j\Iag,  during  all  these  proceedings,  sipped  her  favorite 
beverage  with  unremitting  assiduity,  which  practice, 
however,  had  only  the  effect  of  heightening  the  ruby 
color  of  her  high  cheek  bones,  leaving  her  voice  and 
energies  under  as  complete  control  as  ever. 

When  the  trade  had  been  settled,  and  the  bargains 
conclusively  struck,  Spuke  pulled  a  heavy  jackknife 
from  his  pocket,  and  rapping  smartly  on  the  table,  the 
summons  was  answered  by  the  old  beldam  who  kept 
the  pulperia,  with,  — 

"  Qiie  dizeis  vos  ?  "  —  "What's  your  will  ? 

"  Bring  along  the  supper,"  said  Mag,  "  for  I  haven't 
had  a  full  mouthful  of  wittals  since  I  left  Sebastin." 

Presently  the  old  vixen,  followed  by  a  negro  girl,  re- 
turned with  a  great  glazed  earthen  platter,  filled  with  a 
stew  of  fowls,  sausages,  garlic,  and  onions,  and  having 
shied  a  heap  of  flat,  black  loaves  of  bread  about  the  table, 
the  party  fell  to.     The  factors,  however,  did  not  join  in 


26^  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

the  feast,  and  merely  laid  their  heads  together  at  one  end 
of  the  board,  puffed  paper  cigars,  and  talked  over  their 
bargains  with  much  satisfaction. 

In  all  that  had  passed  no  one  can  know  what  an  itch- 
ing I  felt  for  levelling  a  pistol  at  the  female  devil, 
who  sat  within  ten  feet  of  me ;  but  I  restrained  my 
passion,  and  counted  the  seconds  until  the  sojers 
could  come  from  the  fort  and  seize  the  whole  party, 
as  I  felt  convinced  that  Hazy  could  not  assume  the  re- 
sponsibility of  landing  a  force  for  this  purpose  from  the 
Flirt. 

The  meal  seemed  to  progress  with  pleasure  to  all. 
The  Yankee  did  the  polite  to  his  sweetheart  by  helping 
her  bountifully  to  the  steaming  mess,  chuckling  the 
while  in  glee  at  the  success  of  his  visit  to  Santos. 

"  By  gad !  "  he  sputtered,  with  the  thigh  of  a  fowl 
between  his  sharp  teeth,  "  there's  nery  a  knife  with  a 
wooden  handle  that  kin  carve  this  feller.  His  grand- 
feyther  must  hev  ben  an  admiral  or  an  ostrich,  he's  so 
darned  tough ;  not  nigh  so  nice  as  oysters  on  the  half 
shell,  with  the  trimmins,  that  'Lias  and  me  used  to 
swaller  tu  hum.  "VVal,  I  wonder  now,"  he  went  on, 
**how  cousin  'Lias  Nash  gits  on  aboard  the  polaker. 
He'll  be  tarnation  pleased  to  hear  what  specs  we've 
made  in  these  diggins ;  but  'Lias  is  smashin  cute; 
great  inventin  genoos  too." 

"  Why,  what  did  that  psalm-singin  swab  ever  in- 
vent ?  "  inquired  Mag,  with  a  semblance  of  curiosity. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  263 

"  Ony  glue  combs  and  Injy  rubby  doll  babies  ;  but  be 
was  in  the  manafactery  where  they  made  the  eight-and- 
forty-bladed  penknives,  with  the  bootjack,  wooden  clock, 
and  corkscrey  attachmint,  all  on  'em  fitted  in  a  case  soo- 
tible  fur  the  weskit  pockut." 

"  O,  he  did  !  "  said  the  virago.  "  And  why  didn't  he 
sarve  his  time  out  when  once  at  the  business  ?  " 

"  Wal,  consarn  him,  the  fact  is,  his  genoos  induced 
him  to  go  inter  the  indelibel  markin  ink  company  ;  and 
when  he  was  a  tryin  experiments  with  that  flooid,  he 
happened  to  light  on  an  antidote,  as  he  called  it,  which 
took  the  stains  out  in  no  time.  So  one  day  he  made 
a  mistake,  and  rubbed  off  some  one's  writin  on  a  sheet 
of  paper,  and  put  in  the  place  an  idee  of  his  own. 
That  air  mistake  smashed  him  slick  up,  and  consigned 
him  to  the  state  prison.  Wal,  there  he  was  so  smart, 
they  sot  him  tu  work  in  the  winder  blind  transparency 
fixins,  until  one  day,  'Lias  was  so  orful  cute  he  jist 
painted  his  own  clothes  like  the  overseer's,  and  walked 
right  out  o'  the  gates  as  slick  as  grease." 

"  And  after  that,"  broke  in  Mag,  "  I  s'pose  he  fell  in 
with  you,  and  agreed  to  try  his  genus  at  the  copper  busi- 
ness in  furrin  parts." 

"  Very  remakkable.  Miss  Maggaret.  I  lie  like  snakes 
if  it  warn't  jest  so  ;  but  I  wonder  what  he's  abeout 
now,"  added  Spuke,  reflectively. 

"  O,  you  let  that  Nash  cove  alone.  He's  a  gallivant- 
in   with   the    gals    at    Ilha    Grande    by  this    time,  and 


264  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

p'haps  inventin  a  hoven  to  bake  moonshine  in  ;  but   at 
all  events  he'll  look  out  for  the  polacre  —  never  fear." 

^'  Sartin,  Miss  Maggaret.  You  talks  like  a  book ; 
but  'Lias  hain't  got  no  monop'ly  to  court  the  senoritas, 
all  by  hisself,  yu  know ;  for  he  couldn't  win  yer  affec- 
tions when  Elnathan  Spuke  jumped  inter  the  ring." 

Here  the  lanky  bundle  of  bones  seemed  overjoyed  at 
his  extraordinary '  prowess  in  the  court  of  Cupid,  and 
could  not  resist  the  impulse  of  craning  his  turtle  head 
over  towards  ^lag,  and  pinching  her  on  the  chin,  as  he 
imprinted  a  smack  with  his  puckered  mouth  on  her 
parchment  lips. 

With  a  howl  of  pain  the  hag  started  back,  and  giv- 
ing her  ardent  lover  a  fierce  lick  on  his  face  with 
her  skinny  fist,  she  yelled,  — 

"  You  infarnal  codfish-finned  Yankee,  don't  you  know 
that  my  broken  jaw  isn't  cured  yet?  0!  O!  you 
brute !  " 

Here  the  woman  writhed  in  anguish,  and  refused  to 
be  comforted,  until  she  had  washed  her  mouth  several 
times  from  the  contents  of  the  jug  at  her  elbow.  The 
Yankee,  who  at  first  did  not  appear  disposed  to  rest  qui- 
escent under  the  blow  inflicted  on  his  face,  at  last  re- 
sumed, with,  — 

"  Gosh !  Miss  Maggaret,  don't  git  riled.  I  didn't  go 
to  du  it.  I  oughter  hev  known  yer  jaw  was  tender  yit, 
arter  rollin  down  them  steep  Starrs." 

"  Rolling  down,  you  bear  !     I  was  flung  head  fore- 


TALES    FOR    TH:E    MARINES.  265 

most  full  thirty  feet  by  that  half  white-faced  nigger 
countryman  of  yourn." 

"  Yis,  sartin ;  that  nig  was  a  hull  team  and  a  bull  dog 
under  the  waggin.  I  wouldn't  mind  tryin'  to  trade  him 
off  to  a  Ked  Kiver  planter  on  the  Levee  at  Orleens.  He'd 
fetch  a  big  price." 

*^  And  I,"  screamed  the  hag,  ^^  would  sink  every  ounce 
of  money,  good  and  bad,  we've  got,  for  one  fair  clip 
at  his  throat  with  this  sharp  bit  of  iron  here/'  exhibit- 
ing, as  she  uttered  these  unselfish  views,  a  long  and  mur- 
derous knife  from  the  breast  of  her  jacket. 

The  Maltese  and  Spuke  only  laughed,  while  the  Bra- 
zilians at  the  other  end  of  the  table  looked  a  little  sur- 
prised at  the  excitement  displayed  by  their  companions. 
It  soon  passed  away,  however,  and  the  Yankee  once 
more  drawled  out  in  his  usual  nasal  whine,  — 

"  Wal,  we  ain't  heern  much  of  late  abeout  the  other 
chaps  and  the  gal,  though  I'm  allfired  glad  they  didn't 
take  stock  in  the  ventur  of  the  coin.  I  wonder  where 
they  air  by  this  time." 

"  Why,  they're  with  that  Jezebel,  Loo  O'Neil  —  gone 
up  to  the  north,  dam  'em,  to  rob  somebody,  p'haps, 
and  then  try  their  luck  in  Mexico  or  the  States,  where 
they  ain't  much  known." 

By  this  time  the  platter  of  "  chickin  fixins,"  as  Mr. 

Spuke    called   it,   was    pretty    well    exhausted,    and  it 

seemed   to    me    a   year    since  they  commenced  eating, 

though  probably  they  had  not  been  at  work  an  hour. 

2S 


266  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

The  gray  llglit  of  dawn  had  ah'eady  spread  itself  over 
the  eastern  sky,  and  I  detected  the  sound  of  oars  dipping 
in  the  water.  This  gave  me  the  hope  that  a  message 
had  been  sent  to  the  fort,  and  that  a  force  would  soon 
come  to  arrest  the  party.  I  was  beginning  to  feel  con- 
cerned, too,  lest  some  unfortunate  accident  might  pre- 
vent the  expedition,  or  that  the  smuggler's  people 
should  be  disposed  to  leave  the  pulperia  beforehand. 
In  that  case,  I  resolved  to  shoot  Mag  Surf  as  dead  as 
lead  could  kill  her,  and  take  my  chance  of  crippling  Mr. 
Spuke  the  moment  after.  My  doubts  as  to  their  de- 
parture were  soon  dispelled,  for  the  woman  declared  she 
would  take  a  wink  of  sleep  until  sunrise,  after  the  ex- 
ample of  the  natives,  who,  their  cigar  fires  extinguished, 
were  snoring  away  with  their  heads  on  the  table. 

The  Yankee  persisted  to  the  last  in  striving  to  keep 
the  Maltese  in  talk,  saying,  "  Merlatty,  what's  that  little 
bri^-o'-war  a-doin'  here?  She's  a  States  man-o'-war, 
ain't  she  ?  If  you  behave,  I'll  t^ke  yer  aboard  in  the 
mornin'  to  show  her  tu  ye." 

As  this  kind  offer  elicited  no  reply  from  the  Maltese, 
Mr.  Spuke,  after  taking  a  glance  at  his  own  features, 
and  slicking  his  hair,  in  his  portable  mirror,  stretched 
his  long  bones  on  the  bench,  and  dozed  off  with  his 
friends. 

No  sooner  had  I  observed  this  than  I  turned  to  look 
about  me,  and  to  my  great  delight  saw  the  visages  of 
Hazy,  the  padron,  and  a  couple  of  sailors  peeping  from 


TALES    FOE,    THE    MARINES.  267 

the  thicket  of  mangles,  while  nearer,  crawling  along  the 
sand,  was  my  friend  Makeen  on  his  way  to  attract  my 
attention.  I  immediately  joined  the  Flirt's  party,  and 
retiring  with  them  into  the  brake,  related  what  I  had 
just  witnessed  and  heard. 

"  So  you're  sure,  youngster,  that  you  are  not  mis- 
taken ?  " 

"  Sure  !  "  I  swore  ;  "  ay,  just  as  sure  as  that  I  had 
half  a  dozen  knife  stabs  through  the  instigation  of  ^lag 
Surf  and  her  villanous  crew." 

"  Well,  boy,"  exclaimed  the  padron,  "  the  vendetta 
is  declared,  and  I'll  either  bring  them  to  justice  or  make 
my  wife  a  widow  for  Hazy  here." 

"  O,  to  the  devil  with  justice !  "  squeaked  out  Mak  in 
my  lug.  "  I'm  going  to  scale  a  pistol  at  one  of  them., 
any  way ;  so  now.  Gringo,  give  us  one.  You  take  the 
woman,  and  I'll  let  drive  at  the  man." 

I  handed  him  the  weapon,  and  then  listened  to  the 
arrangements  which  had  been  made  for  capturing  our 
prey. 

The  soldiers,  nine  in  all,  (the  drummers  and  a  few 
others  being  considered  non-combatants,)  had  akeady 
landed  some  distance  up  the  beach  —  that  number  being 
thought,  in  fair  combat,  equal  to  the  capture  of  three 
persons.  The  brig's  cutter  was  lying  behind  the  bluff 
point  below  the  fort,  and  had  orders  to  take  a  custom 
house  official  on  board  the  schooner  the  moment  it  was 
positively  ascertained  that  the  owners  were  trading  with 
false  coin. 


268  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

We  were  soon  joined  by  the  officer  in  charge  of  the 
troops,  —  no  other  than  my  potato-built  rival  in  the 
affections  of  Antonietta, — who  agreed  to  conceal  his 
men  until  the  boats  with  the  produce  should  reach  the 
landing  near  the  pulperia  from  the  town,  and  then  to 
pounce  upon  all  hands.  These  arrangements  having 
been  made  for  the  brigade,  the  rest  of  us  remained  hid- 
den in  the  bushes  until  the  red  beams  of  the  sun  had 
mounted  above  the  hills,  and  the  gnats  and  mosquitos 
were  becoming  very  troublesome. 

"  Hark !  "  whispered  Mak  ;  "  here  come  the  boats  ;  " 
and  directly  we  heard  the  chants  of  the  negro  oai'smen, 
as  the  barges  rounded  the  bend  of  the  river,  coming 
slowly  down  the  stream,  while  the  creaking  of  the  oars 
in  their  hide  grummets  was  audible  also.  In  a  few 
minutes  we  caught  sight  of  the  lighters,  piled  up 
above  the  gunwales  with  casks  and  sacks,  and  the  songs 
of  the  boatmen  rose  higher  and  higher  as  they  neared 
their  destination.  They  sagged  sluggishly  alongside  the 
little  stone  pier,  near  where  the  tub-shaped  yawl  of 
the  drogher  was  still  moored ;  but  though  the  negroes 
chattered  and  laughed  like  magpies,  no  one  was  dis- 
turbed in  the  cane  huts. 

"  Ola,  vamos !  "  shouted  a  person  from  the  stern 
sheets,  who  appeared  to  think  himself  white.  "Fe, 
olha  !  que  tendes  !  O,  maldito,  senhores  !  "  This  dis- 
jointed harangue  was  addressed  partially  to  the  beack 
and  the  rest  to  the  sleeping  boat  keeper  of  the  schooner's 


TALES    FOU    THE    MARINES.  269 

yawl.  Both  having  failed,  however,  to  return  any  reply, 
he  very  coolly  dipped  his  palm  leaf  hat  into  the  water, 
and  poured  the  element  upon  the  boy's  head.  This 
restored  the  dingy  youth  to  consciousness ;  and  after  a 
few  kicks  and  hard  words,  he  was  despatched  to  the 
pulperia  to  notify  the  factors  that  their  property  had  ar- 
rived. 

In  a  brief  space  the  boy  had  entered  the  huts,  where 
a  dim  lamp  was  still  burning  ;  and  soon  after,  one  by  one, 
the  occupants  came  out,  yawning  and  stretching  as  the 
human  species  will  when  awakened  too  early  in  the 
morning.  The  Yankee  came  last  ;  and  though  he 
yawned  like  the  rest,  and  snarled  out  something  about 
his  being  "  pesky  sleepy,"  he  didn't  stretch,  he  being  to 
all  intents  and  purposes  long  enough  already. 

"Now,  Maltee,"  he  drawled,  "tell  them  yaller  fellers 
you'll  go  off  to  the  fore-and-after,  bring  the  money 
ashore,  take  ther  receipts  all  fair  and  square,  when  ther 
lighters  kin  go  off  alongside  and  discharge  like  a  thou- 
sand of  brick." 

The  Maltese  smiled  in  acquiescence,  so  as  to  exhibit 
the  single  tusk  left  of  his  head  rails,  and  then  stepping 
into  the  yawl,  took  a  scull  and  wiggled  out  to  the 
schooner.  There,  with  the  assistance  of  two  or  three 
pair  of  hands,  sacks  of  a  heavy  weight  were  lowered  into 
the  boat,  and  she  returned  to  the  landing.  Meanwhile 
the  factors  had  partaken  of  coffee  or  cocoa  from  a  reser- 
voir of  that  beverage  boiled  in  an  earthen  pot,  Hghted 
23* 


270  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

their  cigars,  and  were  blowing  small  clouds  to  drive  off 
the  morning  dew  and  insects.  Mag  had  seated  herself 
on  the  vertebrae  of  a  whale  or  some  large  bone  of  a  deep 
sea  fish,  and  with  her  playmate  and  bosom  gin  jug  com- 
panion on  the  sand  before  her,  she  was  exchanging  a 
little  Portuguese  billingsgate  with  the  venerable  female 
who  swayed  the  fortunes  of  the  pulperia  ;  in  which  ele- 
gant vituperation  the  former  seemed  to  have,  by  way  of 
novelty,  found  her  match. 

Mr.  Spuke  at  this  epoch  was  busy  on  a  little  tour  of 
inspection  around  the  cargoes  of  the  lighters,  punching 
his  steel-like  knuckles  into  the  sacks  of  sugar,  dipping 
his  claws  of  fingers  into  the  bung  holes  of  the  pipas  of 
rum  to  test  the  strength  by  sucking  his  digits  after- 
wards, then  smelling  pinches  and  handfuls  of  coffee 
berries,  in  all  which  business  pursuits  he  appeared  quite 
at  home.  Upon  his  own  boat  coming  on  shore  again 
with  his  copper  treasure,  he  joined  the  Maltese,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  the  boy  and  the  black  oarsman,  the 
bags  were  carried  up  about  fifty  yards  on  the  beach,  mid- 
way between  the  water  and  the  cane  huts. 

This  was  no  sooner  effected  than  a  signal  was  given 
to  the  cornet,  and  down  from  their  concealment  in  the 
bushes  ran  the  squad  of  sojers,  while  the  fat  officer, 
rushing  up,  laid  his  hand  on  the  blue  coat  with  bright 
brass  buttons,  which  hung  over  the  back  of  Mr.  Spuke. 
This  was  the  first  intimation  that  individual  had  of  the 
ambuscade  ;  but,  jerking  himself  free,  he  exclaimed,  — 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARI^'ES.  271 

"  By  spikes  !  Avhat  on  airth  air  yu  abeout  ?  "  The 
suddenness  and  violence  of  the  movement  nearly 
twitched  the  officer  off  his  lesrs. 

o 

When  Mr.  Spuke  glanced  round,  and  beheld  the 
mihtia,  with  their  bayonets,  at  a  charge,  he  seemed  to 
recover  himself  at  once  ;  and  striding  over  the  sacks  of 
metal,  with  his  legs  wide  apart,  he  said,  — 

"  Wal,  ye  darn'd  Portingees,  what  air  ye  up  tu  ? 
This  here  is  my  property,  and  ther  custom-house  per- 
mits is  right  and  reg'lar  —  ask  them  dons  theer  —  all 
honist  folks  —  no  idee  on  gittin  quit  of  payin  the  fees." 

Here  he  beckoned  to  the  factors,  who,  with  Mag,  came 
to  the  spot ;  and  there  they  stood,  in  a  lump,  just  as  the 
cutter  of  the  Flirt  was  dashing  alongside  of  the  schooner. 

I  could  not  have  stood  it  any  longer ;  but  just  then 
Hazy  exclaimed,  "  Now,  my  friends,  it  is  our  turn !  " 
while  the  padron  roared  out,  in  Portuguese,  "  Seize  or 
shoot  down  those  villains,  if  they  stir  an  inch.  I  arrest 
them  for  smuggling  counterfeit  coin."  And  I  screamed 
to  Mag,  "Yes,  you  hag,  and  I've  an  account  to  settle 
with  you  for  the  affair  in  that  den  in  Rio." 

The  Maltese  was  the  first  who  made  a  bolt ;  but  he 
had  not  moved  a  yard  before  Hazy's  cockswain,  Harry 
Greenfield,  fetched  him  a  tap  with  the  gig's  brass  tiller, 
which  laid  him  out,  as  meek  as  milk,  on  the  strand. 

When  the  combination  burst  with  its  real  force  upon 
Spuke  and  his  female  companion,  the  latter  squinted 
furtively  around,  to  see,  perhaps,  if  a  chance  for  escape 


212  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

presented  itself;  but  observing  all  retreat  cut  off,  her 
ugly  mug  began  to  assume  a  pale-blue,  ashes-of-roses 
hue  ;  and  she  put  her  hand  in  her  bosom  and  partially- 
exposed  her  tapering  knife. 

"  Drop  that,  you   piratical   she   devil,   or   I'll " 

She  must  have  looked  full  into  the  muzzle  of  the  big- 
mouthed  ship's  pistol  I  pointed  at  her,  before  she  re- 
moved her  hand  from  the  weapon  ;  and  then  only  to 
carry  the  gin  jug  to  her  hideous  mouth;  but  she  did 
not  utter  a  word.  Not  so,  however,  with  Mr.  Spuke  ;  he 
saw  the  game  was  up,  and  that  not  only  his  vessel  was 
seized,  and  his  liberty  about  to  be  cramped  for  an  indef- 
inite period,  but,  worse  than  all,  he  was  to  lose  all  his 
hard-earned  gains. 

Taking  up  the  words  as  they  were  uttered  by  the 
padron,  and  losing  all  his  drawly,  nasal  twang,  he  said, 
in  a  cold,  deliberate  tone,  — 

'*  0,  ho !  there's  been  spyin  goin  on,  and  I'm  to  be 
robbed,  eh  ?  Now,  I'm  an  Ameriken,  clear  grit !  and 
you,  dam  yer,  my  countryman,"  shaking  his  hand  aloft 
at  Hazy,  "  air  -standin  by  to  see  me  imposed  upon  by 
these  cussed  merlatters,  when  it's  your  dooty  to  pertect 
me.  But,  by  spikes  !  let  me  see  the  first  feller  as  '11  ris 
his  finger  jint  to  seize  Elnathan  Spuke." 

With  this,  he  bai*ed  his  great  slabs  of  arms  to  the 
shoulders;  and  there  he  stood,  a  powerful,  towering 
giant,  —  glaring  with  the  wrinkled,  compressed  lips, 
open  nostril,  and  fierce,  cunning  eye  of  a  tiger,  ready 
for  a  spring. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  273 

*^  AiTest  him^  soldiers  ! "  shouted  the  now  excited 
padron ;  and  the  cornet  drew  his  sword.  Before,  how- 
ever, the  blade  was  well  out  of  its  sheath,  the  fellow  at 
bay  gave  him  a  tremendous  kick  in  the  stomach,  which 
sent  him  fairly  spinning  up  off  the  sand ;  and  then  he 
fell  with  a  groan,  completely  hors  de  combat.  At  the 
moment  the  soldiers,  who,  as  I  told  you,  seemed  by  no 
means  veterans  in  war,  advanced,  with  fixed  bayonets, 
upon  the  smuggler.  Evading  the  first  two  men,  he 
gave  a  sudden  bound,  grasped  the  musket  by  the  muz- 
zle from  the  weak  arms  of  one  of  the  puny  troop,  and, 
with  a  deep-muttered  imprecation  of,  "  By  the  Eternal, 
let  her  rip,"  gave  the  weapon  a  half  sweep  over  his 
head;  and  bringing  it  round,  the  foremost  men  went 
down  like  grain  before  a  sickle.  Recovering  himself 
again,  he  made  the  heavy  piece  whirl  on  high,  and 
brought  it,  for  the  second  time,  upon  the  backs  of  the 
panic-stricken  soldiers ;  but  the  flint  lock  catching  some 
part  of  their  eq^uipments,  the  cock  snapped,  the  piece 
flashed,  held  fire  an  instant,  and  then  exploded  full  in 
the  face  of  the  Yankee.  The  charge  traversed  his  upper 
jaw,  nose,  and  one  eye,  leaving  him  blinded,  and  the 
blackened  blood  and  powder  clinging  to  his  mutilated 
features.  He  spun  round  nearly  a  turn,  by  the  force  of 
the  explosion,  yet  never  relaxed  his  gripe  on  the  muz- 
zle of  the  musket,  until,  with  a  confused  lurch,  the 
breech  of  the  gun  touched  the  sand,  and  he  fell  forward 
with  all  his  weight.     The  point  of  the  bayonet  entered 


^74  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

« 

nearly  at  his  breast  bone,  and  transfixed  bim  to  the  pipe. 
He  fell  over  sidewise,  and  lay  a  dead  man,  deluging  in 
blood  the  sacks  of  money  he  had  made  such  desperate 
efforts  to  defend. 

By  this  time  the  dismayed  soldiers,  who  had  turned 
tail  from  the  one  man,  began  to  fire  an  irregular  yeit  de 
joie  right  in  amongst  the  crowd  of  us.  They  were  too 
wild,  however,  to  do  much  damage  ;  only  grazing  the 
ear  of  one  of  the  factors,  and  putting  a  ball  into  the 
foot  of  the  Maltese  —  and  a  very  severe  and  painful 
wound  he  found  it. 

During  this  skrimmage  my  attention  was,  for  a  moment, 
diverted  from  my  own  especial  game  ;  and  when  I 
looked  again,  I  saw  the  hag  running  like  a  rat  towards 
the  thicket.  Makeen  fired  his  pistol  at  her,  but  the  ball 
only  cut  off  a  twig,  and  scattered  some  leaves  without 
touching  her.  I  reserved  my  shot,  and,  with  a  cry  that 
brought  the  whole  assembly,  with  the  exception  of  the 
soldiers,  we  plunged  after  Mag.  She  took  the  main 
road,  a  well-beaten  track  for  mules  and  beasts,  which 
led  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  the  city ;  and  though 
it  wound  about  here  and  there,  we  could  still  keep  her 
in  sight,  as  she  parted  the  bushes  right  and  left  in  her 
flight.  Presently,  the  thick  undergrowth  gave  place  to 
loftier  vegetation  ;  and  between  the  trunks  of  the  palms 
and  cocoas  we  caught  glimpses  of  narrow  lagoons  be- 
yond, patched  with  light-green  and  white  water  lilies. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARI^'ES.  275 

On  the  opposite  side,  the  land  rose  higher,  and  the  forest 
was  composed  of  heavy  timber. 

The  woman  still  held  on  with  great  speed,  and  must 
have  known  she  was  running  with  a  noose  round  her 
neck,  for  she  never  looked  behind,  or  gave  heed  in  the 
slightest  degree  to  our  yells  to  stop  or  be  shot.  There 
were  a  number  of  paths  made  by  cattle,  which  crossed 
the  road  at  intervals,  and,  all  at  once,  Mag  turned  to  the 
left  into  one  of  them.  A  pair  of  huge  vampire  bats 
rose  from  a  branch  with  a  boding  croak ;  and  as  the 
woman  leaped  over  the  grass  and  leaves,  one  of  the 
factors  gave  a  shout  of  warning,  and  tried  to  stop  me 
from  going  farther.  Shaking  off  his  grasp,  however,  I 
jumped  on,  with  Mak  and  Hazy  at  my  heels,  into  the 
thicket.  In  a  minute  we  had  entirely  passed  the  dense 
foliage,  and  before  us  lay  the  long,  narrow  lagoon,  cra- 
dled in  its  black,  slimy,  muddy  banks,  while  directly 
through  the  centre,  leading  to  the  opposite  shore,  was 
apparently  a  clear,  open  bridge,  matted  and  bound  with 
roots,  grasses,  and  rank  vegetation  of  all  sorts,  with  a 
little  clump  of  bushes  and  parasitical  plants  at  every 
few  paces,  but  still  showing  a  green,  even  road  over  the 
water.  Mag  was  about  a  hundred  yards  in  advance  of 
us,  and  splashing  a  short  distance  into  the  mud  and 
water,  she  sprang  upon  the  bending  mangrove  roots, 
and,  finding  that  they  bore  her  weight,  continued  on 
her  course. 


276  TALES    FOE,   THE    MARINES. 

"  Hold  !  "  roared  the  padron ;  '^  gentlemen,  for  God's 
sake  don't  go  an  inch  farther !  " 

"0/  cuidado ! ''  screamed  the  factor.  "Beware! 
it  is  certain  death !  "  cried  they,  both  out  of  breath. 
"  That  witch  can't  escape  ;  the  mire  will  prevent  her  on 
the  other  side." 

At  this  moment,  Mag,  perceiving  she  was  no  longer 
pursued,  turned  about,  and  shaking  her  knife  in  one 
hand,  and  applying  the  gin  jug  to  her  lips  with  the 
other,  she  took  a  long  pull,  and  then  yelled  derisively,  — 

"  O,  you  hounds !  you  thought  to  hang  me,  eh  ?  the 
hemp  isn't  planted  yet  for  my  throat;  and  you,  ye 
devil's  asp,  let  me  once  lay  hold  upon  you,  I'll  take  an 
oath  to  find  your  heart  the  next  time.  Adios,""  she 
said,  as  she  again  applied  the  jug  to  her  mouth,  and 
hurling  it  upon  the  slimy  surface  of  the  pool,  wheeled 
to  resume  her  flight. 

I  am  glad  to.  say  that  this  was  the  last  svv^ig  of  gin 
and  the  last  intelligible  remarks  wdiich  Miss  Maggaret, 
as  Spuke  respectfully  styled  her,  ever  uttered  in  this 
world. 

No  sooner  had  the  water  been  disturbed  by  the  splash 
of  the  empty  bottle,  than  we  noticed  a  little  succession 
of  rolling,  unbroken  billows  along  by  the  vegetable 
bridge.  The  flat,  sickly  leaves  and  flowers  began  to 
undulate,  and  as  Mag  stepped  from  the  green  laced, 
living  fabric  to  a  projecting  root,  we  saw  the  huge,  tri- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  ^77 

angular-shaped  snout  of  a  red  spectacled  alligator,  and 
the  dull,  protruding  eyes,  with  the  fringed,  scaly  crest 
between,  slowly  pushed  above  the  water ;  and  then  a 
sharp,  rattling   snap  upon  the   hard-baked   clay   of  the 

gin  jug. 

"  The  cayman  !  "  exclaimed  the  padron ;   and  as  the 
monster  rolled  his  jaws  more  out  of  water,  the   irregu- 
lar, reddish,  marbled  yellow  and  green  spots  were  visi- 
ble underneath,  before  he  sank  with  his  prize. 
The  factor  ejaculated,  "0/  vermelho  cayman!  " 
The  noise  of  the  breaking  gin  vessel  did  not,  how- 
ever, distract  the  attention  of  Mag,  but  as  she  trod  on 
the  elastic  mass  of  the  bridge,  it  yielded,  and  agitated 
the  pool  with  a  loud  splash.     The  next  moment,  as  if 
the  impulse  had  been  felt  in  every  direction,  the  same 
unbroken   undulations   as  before  swelled  up  under  the 
greenish,  stagnant  lagoon,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes 
to  wink,  the  w^ater  broke  with  a  rush  upwards,  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  woman.     The  enormous  mail-clad  hide 
of  the  cayman  appeared ;  the  tail  rose  with  a  diagonal 
motion ;    and    the    head,  with    the    distended,   serrated 
jaws,  the  reddish  tongue  and  yellow  mouth  inside  them, 
gleamed  hot  and  dry  in  the  beams  of  the  morning  sun ; 
the  whole  monster  forming  a  curving  bend  of  full  twenty 
feet  before  and  behind  the  now  terrified  hag.     At  the 
same  instant  the  hard,  flexile  tail  made  a  side  sweep,  quick 
as  thought,  which,  striking  Mag  a  crushing  blow  about 
her  waist,  doubled  her  up  with  a  broken  back,  and  she 
24 


£7.8  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

fW^  swept  into  the  fiiglitful  jaws,  open  to  full  stretch, 
and  inclined  sideways  to  receive  the  prey.  Simiiltane 
piiSjLy  with  our  groans  of  horror,  the  heretofore  quiet 
.pool, Y^s.  all  alive  with  the  projecting,  ridgy  bodies  of 
the  monsters,  and  for  a  few  minutes  we  heard  nothing 
J)jiijt  the;, YJ-o Lent  snapping  of  their  huge  jaws,  and  the 
l)lp^3;  of  their  powerful  tails.  At  last  the  water  once 
jtipi^e^.h^egsiii,  to  settle  down  into  peace ;  the  broad,  flat 
leaves  and  .^st^ms  of  the  pure  white  lilies,  which  had 
been  torn  and, crushed  by  the  commotion  amongst  the 
denizens,  belqw^  gradually  resumed  their  beds  ;  and, 
saye  ^^  fcTjr  bubbles,  and  an  occasional  undulation,  with 
a  strong  p,dor  lof;  miijsk,  there  was  nothing  left  to  show 
where  t^ie  hag  had.nie.t  her  horrid  death. 
9,;,**..C9mie,  let's., Gr£|,wl  out  of  this  swamp,"  said  the  pa- 
djfon,.,f^or  some  of.  those:  hungry  caymans  will  be  after 
having  a  taste  <;)f  us*!f  rl  L:. 

ji  i*^  iW'eU/^  exclaimed  iMa3f:y*' I  think  the  beast  who  ate 
th?tt  female  will  be;  ti^publed  with  indigestion."  With 
thfse;  qonsojatory  rem^rjgs  ^we  all  retraced  our  steps,  as 
fast  as  our  legs  would  carvyius,  to.  the  pulperia. 
^,,jQi%  reaching;  the  cap;e,hu{t%  ^:e_ found  the  fat  cornet 
8pj[,'ead_  _  ou$  <>^ ! ;  :^he.  tables  ; while  several  people  were 
chafing  ;  his  body  and .  iimbsj, with ,  spirits.  He  had  j  ust 
recovered,  consciousness. /aiter  the  blpw  dealt  him  by  the 
Yan]ceev  .Xhe,discgm;&ted,  troops,  without  their  leader, 
were  making;  the  fc>.est  \y'eivthev  :  tihey  couW,  and  with  a 
im  bad  bwee^i^er^j  seated.  3iho\xk>ii>njih^:Si^ov ;  while 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  279 

the  factors,  now  fully  alive  to  the  bargains  they  had 
escaped,  were  preparing  to  start  with  their  rum  and 
susrar  back  to  Santos. 

On  going  out  to  the  scene  of  the  recent  tragedy,  we 
found  the  Maltese  about  being  carried  off  to  the  brig, 
to  have  his  wounds  dressed,  while  the  dead  carcass  of 
his  companion,  surrounded  by  myriads  of  insects,  lay 
stark  and  reeking  in  blood,  where  he  had  fallen  beside 
his  base  treasure. 

*'Well,"  soliloquized  Hazy,  "we'll  put  him  under 
the  sod,  for  the  sake  of  the  flag  he  was  born  under,  any 
way."  The  body  was  accordingly  removed  to  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river,  to  Manduba  Point,  where,  upon  a 
little  craggy  mound,  beneath  the  finger-like  leaves  of  a 
gaunt  palm  tree,  he  was  buried,  and  the  great  bone 
which  lay  near  the  spot  where  he  was  killed  was  stuck 
up  for  his  tombstone. 

That  evening,  as  the  sun  went  down  in  the  soft 
orange  glow  of  a  tropical  twilight,  I  was  leaning  back 
in  the  Rake,  with  Hazy,  the  padron,  and  Archy  Ma- 
keen.  The  oars  dipped  in  the  calm  surface  of  the  river, 
and  the  silver  drops  rained  from  their  blades,  as  they 
were  thrown  forward  in  regular  strokes,  while  we  swept 
up  the  stream. 

"  Pleasant  evening  after  the  shower,"  observed  Hazy, 
anxious,  apparently,  to  make  himself  agreeable. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  padron,  "  though  I  shall  feel 
pleasanter  after  getting  my  sugar." 


g80  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

"  Well,  all  in  good  time  we'll  overhaul  the  polacre, 
perhaps,  and  make  Captain  'Lias  Nash  refund." 

"  If  you  will  I'll  give  you  a  dinner  such  as  you  never 
ate  at  Botafogo,  and  a  thousand  Havanas  such  as  you 
never  smoked." 

"Agreed;  but  s'pose  you  give  us  a  cheroot  now. 
This  starlight  and  quiet  is  all  very  romantic,  you  know, 
but  in  narrow  rivers  I  like  to  drive  away  the  malaria 
with  a  little  tobacco  smoke.  It  does  not  obscure  the 
sceneiy,  and  aids  the  gastric  fluid,  very  much,  I  am  told 
by  the  faculty,  in  performing  its  office." 

Here  the  yesquero  was  made  to  catch  a  spark,  and  the 
cigars  were  soon  in  full  blast. 

"Speaking  of  cigars,"  resumed  Hazy,  "I  once  lost  a 
small  fortune  on  account  of  one  of  them.  You  see  I 
had  got  slightly  behindhand  in  my  pecuniary  depart- 
ment, and  having  an  uncle  in  comfortable  circumstances, 
I  used  occasionally  to  apply  to  him  to  relieve  me  from 
temporary  embarrassments,  my  money  market  being,  as 
they  say  on  'change,  tight.  Well,  I've  always  main- 
tained that  if  one  wishes  to  discover  what  true  friend- 
ship is,  he  must  try  to  borrow  of  his  rich  relations ;  and 
if  the  man  who  wrote  the  book  to  prove  that  Adam  and 
Eve  spoke  High  Dutch  will  only  devote  his  talents  to 
this  question,  he  will  arrive  in  due  time  at  some  very 
curious  and  entertaining  results. 

"  Now  it  so  happened  that  my  uncle,  though  a  Vir- 
ginian,  and  a  cultivator  of  the  weed,  abominated   the 


TALES    FOE,    THE    MARINES.  281 

smoke,  as  a  butcher  is  said,  by  the  same  token,  to  faint 
at  ilie  sight  of  blood  ;  and  in  fact  the  very  smell  of  a 
lighted  cigar  made  him  ill ;  so  you  may  be  sure  I  was 
extremely  cautious  to  give  him  a  wide  berth,  when  I 
cared  to  indulge  in  that  enjoyment,  while  on  my  visits 
for  the  purpose  of  negotiating  loans. 

"  One  unfortunate  evening,  however,  after  the  kind  old 
gentleman  had  consented  to  fit  me  out,  as  usual,  for  the 
*  last  time,'  when  I  was  about  leaving  on  a  little  tour 
for  the  watering-places,  (here  Makeen  whispered  in 
my  ear,  ^  Brandy-and-watering  places,  he  means,')  I  re- 
tired to  my  own  room,  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind,  and 
threw  myself  upon  the  bed  with  my  book  and  cigar. 
I  had  not,  however,  finished  the  second  weed,  having 
laid  the  stump  of  the  first  on  the  candlestick,  when  I 
was  seized  with  an  irresistible  inclination  to  hunt  for  a 
passage  in  one  of  the  classic  poets,  on  the  shelves  of  the 
library.  My  uncle,  I  knew,  had  not  retired  from  his 
sanctum,  as  he  was  a  late  sitter  and  riser,  for  he  always 
averred  on  this  subject,  that,  although  the  '  early  bird 
caught  the  worm,'  yet,  nevertheless,  the  worm  was  a 
great  fool  for  being  out.  Well,  after  scrubbing  my 
teeth,  and  perfuming  myself  with  the  choicest  extracts, 
so  that  I  had,  as  a  little  gypsy  of  a  cousin  of  mine  ob- 
served, a  strong  odor  of  cologne  over  an  under-current 
of  cigar  smoke,  I  clutched  my  candlestick,  and  descend- 
ed to  the  library.  I  soon  accomplished  my  mission,  and 
24* 


2S2  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

again  betook  myself  to  my  own  quarters  ;  but  by  some 
accident  I  found  that  I  had  changed  candlesticks,  mine 
being  a  flat  sort  of  an  affair,  and  the  one  I  brought  back 
much  taller.  I  did  not  give  it  a  second  thought,  how- 
ever, and  was  dreaming  away  very  pleasantly  of  the 
fine  times  I  was  to  have  in  the  gay  world,  when  I  was 
aroused  by  the  most  unusual  din,  that  seemed  to  pervade 
the  v/hole  house,  and  above  all,  my  uncle's  voice,  in  a 
towering  rage,  calling  upon  the  household,  and  your  hum- 
ble servant  among  them.  ^  Where's  that  scamp  Jack  ?  ' 
I  lost  not  a  moment  in  pullmg  on  my  dressing  gown,  and 
running  down  to  see  what  the  row  was.  On  open- 
ing the  chamber  door,  I  found  my  uncle  wandering 
about  in  his  shirt,  and  looking  in  every  hole  and  corner, 
with  a  light  in  his  hand.  '  So  ho  !  Jack,  jou  have  been 
smoking  tobacco  in  my  room,  you  rascal.' 

'' '  Why,  uncle,  you  know  I  don't  ever  use  tobacco  in 
any  shape.' 

"  *  Well,'  he  replied,  ^  all  I've  got  to  say  is,  that  the 
whole  apartment  is  filled  with  a  horrid  stench  of  old 
pipes,  and  I'll  murder  the  villain  who  did  it.  I've  been 
sick  as  a  dog,  and  haven't  slept  a  wink  all  night.'  Just 
at  this  moment  my  mischievous  little  cousin,  who  w^as 
sniffing  around  with  her  small  snub  nose,  exclaimed, 
'Why,  uncle,  it's  an  old,  nasty  stump  of  a  cigar  in 
Jack's  candlestick,  which  must  have  been  standing  at 
your  bedside.' 

'*  Padron,"  said  Hazy,  « I  took  the  early  boat  in  the 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  283 

morning  ;  but  instead  of  passing  one  summer  at  Sara- 
toga, I  passed  three  of  tliem  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
smoking  without  tobacco." 

The  lights  from  Santos  were  now  visible,  as  we  pulled 
round  the  reach  of  the  river  ;  and  shortly  after  the  gig 
ran  alongside  the  water  stairs,  and  off  we  all  tramped 
to  the  residence  of  the  padron's  family. 

"  Ladies,"  said  Hazy,  '^  I  have  brought  back  the  de- 
serters, and  performed  prodigies  of  valor  besides,  which, 
were  you  to  hear  them,  would  bring  the  dew  from  your 
eyelids  ;  and  I  have  ended,  madam,  by  coming  within 
three  hundred  feet  of  being  devoured  by  crocodiles." 

"  Ah,  such  tears  they  would  have  shed  in  that  case  !  " 
said  Miss  Mary. 

"Madam,"  he  resumed,  still  addressing  the  sweet 
matron,  "  my  duty  to  my  country  will  shortly  bear  me 
from  these  enchanting  precincts  ;  but  while  I  tear  myself 
from  the  presence  of  you  and  Dona  Pancha,  I  hope  still 
to  bask  in  the  smiles  of  the  fair  damsel  beside  you, 
while  my  bark  glides  o'er  the  sea." 

"  Ah  Dios !  how  handsome  the  captain  would  be  if 
he  didn't  make  such  frightful  contortions  of  visage  when 
he  uses  his  eye  glass,"  softly  warbled  the  coquettish  lit- 
tle Creole  brunette,  as  she  rattled  and  flirted  her  fan,  in 
an  easy,  graceful,  open  and  shut  movement  before  her 
brilliant  eyes. 

The  commander  smiled  deprecatingly  at  this  compli- 
ment, glanced  over  his  shoulder  at  me,  unbuckled  his 


284  TALES   FOR   THE    MAIIINE3. 

sword  belt,  and  touching  the  hilt  with  the  air  of  Corio- 
lanus,  laid  the  weapon  on  the  table,  and  joined  the  pa- 
dron  in  a  glass  of  port. 

A  week  passed  away,  and  on  the  eighth  morning  the 
Flirt,  with  her  sails  gently  filled  by  the  land  wind, 
slowly  parted  the  waters  of  the  river,  with  her  head  out 
to  sea ;  and  before  the  sun  had  reached  the  meridian, 
she  was  braced  sharp  up,  with  her  tacks  close  down,  and 
sheets  flat  aft  to  the  sea  breeze,  beating  to  the  south- 
ward. 


I 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Before  leaving  Santos  Eiver^  a  lot  of  Brazilians,  half 
sailors  and  half  sojers,  ay  ere  taken  from  the  hulk  of  a 
guarda-costa  lying  at  the  town,  and  put  on  board  the 
copper  smuggler.  This  last  craft  had  sailed  the  day 
before  we  did,  to  act  as  a  decoy  duck,  in  order  to  catch 
her  heavy  consort,  the  polacre,  who,  in  charge  of  the 
acute  Elias  Nash,  was  to  have  joined  her  on  the  coast 
of  Paranagua  or  San  Francisco ;  at  least  so  confessed 
the  smuggler's  crew,  after  they  had  been  severely  flagel- 
lated with  thick  bamboos  and  thongs  of  raw  hide  —  a 
precautionary  measure,  which  was  supposed  to  have 
exercised  a  beneficial  effect  in  aiding  theii*  recollec- 
tion. 

Maltese  Joe  had  also  been  transferred  from  the  brig, 
where  his  wounds  had  been  skilfully  dressed  by  the 
surgeon,  but  with  a  brain  fever ;  and  he  was  stowed 
away  somewhere  in  the  schooner's  hot  hold,  either  to 
get  well  or  kick  the  bucket,  as  Providence  might  direct 
in  reference  to  an  individual  of  his  virtuous  pursuits. 

The  Flirt  held  the  sea  breeze  well  along  through  the 
afternoon,  until,  as  the  approaching  vermilion  glow  of 
sunset  began  to  flood  the  western  horizon,  the  breeze 

(285) 


286  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

puffed  up  strong  for  a  few  minutes,  then  the  waves 
swished  over  by  the  weight  of  their  own  crests,  the  sails 
slackened  the  strain  on  the  yards  and  ropes,  and  fell 
listlessly  down  the  masts.  ^ 

"  Come  from  the  conn,"  said  the  officer  in  charge  of 
the  watch  to  the  quarter  master  in  the  weather  quarter 
boat ;  "  there'll  be  no  more  use  for  you  up  there  to- 
night." Then,  turning  to  the  crew,  he  continued, 
"  Now,  men,  up  courses  and  spanker,  brail  up  tho  jib, 
and  brace  the  yards  abox,  ready  for  any  thing.  7  all  the 
captain,  Mr.  Peale,"  he  added,  *•'  that  the  breeze  has  left 
us,  and  we  can  see  a  coasting  vessel  in  shore  of  us,  that 
looks  like  the  prize  taken  at  Santos." 

Presently  Hazy  stepped  on  deck,  assisting  up  his 
pretty  little  passenger,  who  was  a  trifle  pale  and  heavy 
about  her  large,  liquid  eyes ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
the  gallant  commander  paid  the  most  impressive  atten- 
tion to  Jilla,  addressing  her  confidentially  in  behalf  of 
his  imp  Caesar,  who  was  supposed  to  have  fallen  in  love, 
and  down  the  cabin  hatchway,  simultaneously,  with  An- 
tonietta's  dingy  handmaiden. 

While  Hazy  turned  to  consult  with  the  officer  of  the 
watch  concerning  the  vessel,  I  supported  my  qualmish 
little  sweetheart  to  the  signal  lockers  abaft,  and  placed 
a  heap  of  bunting  around  her  head  and  shoulders.  She 
reclined  back,  and  told  me  she  was  disgusted  with  all 
the  world,  the  sea,  the  captain,  Jilla,  and  me  particu- 
larly, and  only  wished  to  be  let  alone.     "  So  vaya  con 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  287 

dios,^^  she  concluded,  as  she  pulled  a  fold  of  an  ensign 
over  her  face,  and  relapsed  into  silence. 

She  was  not  the  girl  to  be  meddled  with,  as  I  knew 
by  experience,  when  in  her  little  pets  of  ill  humor ;  and 
so,  after  giving  strict  injunctions  to  Jilla  to  watch  over 
her  mistress,  I  made  a  graceful  retreat,  and  went  with 
Ned  Peale,  one  of  the  Flirt's  reefers,  to  the  forecastle, 
where  we  had  a  cigar  between  us,  and  listened  to  the 
yarns  and  songs  of  the  sailors. 

I  was  terribly  spoony  at  that  epoch,  and  quite  in- 
censed, I  remember,  at  a  little,  old,  squat-built  mariner, 
with  a  huge  nose,  seamed  and  scarred  like  the  top  of  a 
champagne  cork,  who  doled  forth,  with  evident  satis- 
faction, — 

**  I've  a  spanking  wife  at  Portsmouth  gates, 
A  pygmy  at  Goree, 
I've  an  orange  tawny  up  the  Straits, 
A  black  at  St.  Lucie." 

And  so  I  topped  my  boom  from  the  merry  circle,  just 
as  the  fife  struck  up  a  jig,  and  Imperial  Caesar  began,  in 
his  own  language,  to  dance  to  "  de  lascivious  caperings 
ob  de  floot." 

It  was  towards  ten  o'clock  when  I  got  aft  again,  and 
I  found  that  Hazy  had  just  finished  a  glass  of  grog,  — 
he  called  it  lemonade,  —  and  had  ordered  the  gunner, 
Mr.  Ben  Bunker,  to  throw  up  a  few  rockets,  and  burn 
a  blue  light  or  two,  to  gratify  a  wish  expressed  by  An- 
tonietta. 


288  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

I  may  add  here  that  Mr.  Jack  Hazy  was  rather  pro- 
fuse in  the  expenditure  of  pubhc  pyrotechny.  He  con- 
tended that  it  was  designed  for  use,  and  he  always  felt 
easier  in  his  mind  when  the  last  port  fire  had  been 
burned,  there  being  so  much  less  risk  from  conflagration 
to  the  ship  when  those  inflammable  materials  were  out 
of  the  way. 

"All  ready,  sir,"  said  the  gunner,  as  he  stood  with  a 
musket  at  arm's  length,  the  breech  resting  on  the  ham- 
mock nettings,   and   a  match  ready   to    touch    oflf   the 
rocket,  which  was  sticking  in  the  barrel  of  the  piece. 
"  Up  with  it,  then,"  said  Hazy. 

Now,  whether  trusty  old  Ben  Bunker  was  not  much 
in  the  habit  of  shooting  ofi"  "  them  dam  sky  rackets,"  as 
he  called  those  engines,  or  whether  he  feared  to  scorch 
his  horny  fingers,  or  shut  his  eyes  at  the  moment  of 
ignition,   is  not  known.      Certain    it  was,  that   as    the 
stem  of  the  rocket  began  to  fizz,  he  gave  the  musket  a 
slight  depression,  and  as  the  fiery  missile  rose  with  a 
hissing  roar,  it  flew  with  a  rush  right  through  the  main- 
topgallant  sail,  and  exploding  just  beyond,  fell  in  a  con- 
stellation of  stars  and  showers  of  sparks,  popping  and 
bursting  in  the  Flirt's  waist,  among  the  sleeping  watch. 
*'  Why,  you  confounded  old  porpoise,  what  are  you 
about  ? "   exclaimed  the   commander ;    while    the    until 
now  listless  young  Creole  sprang  up,  clapped  her  hands, 
and   implored  Hazy   to   send  some   more   in  the  same 
direction. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  289 

'^  *Pon  my  soul,  you  picarona,  this  old  bombadier 
"will  set  fire  to  the  brig ;  and  I  wouldn't  risk  anotlier 
rocket  for  all  the  diamonds  in  Brazil.  Your  life  is  so 
precious  to  me ! "  he  added,  with  an  insinuating  smile. 

It  was  not  many  hours  after  this,  as  I  lay  coiled  up 
on  the  deck  at  Antonietta's  feet,  with  an  ensign  for  a 
pillow,  I  was  awakened  by  a  hail  from  the  brig  of  ''  Boat 
ahoy  !  "  Directly  there  came  a  reply  in  Portuguese  of 
*'Amigo !  amigo !  "  as  a  small  yawl  paddled  alongside, 
in  the  most  lubberly  manner  possible ;  and  the  padi-on 
of  the  guarda-costa,  who  had  been  put  in  charge  of  the 
smuggling  schooner  at  Santos,  came  over  the  gangway. 

"  Well,"  said  Hazy,  who  had  been  dozing  and  smok- 
ing about  the  quarter  deck,  in  the  warm  night,  "I 
thought  we'd  got  quit  of  these  Diegos ;  what  do  they 
want  now,  eh  ?  " 

After  a  brief  confab,  Makeen  reported  that  by  some 
mischance  they  had  lost  their  reckoning,  broken  their 
compass,  and  being  without  instruments  or  books,  in 
short  utterly  ignorant  of  navigation,  they  were  all 
wrong,  and  wished  some  one  sent  to  show  them  the 
way  to  Paranagua. 

"  All  right,"  nodded  the  commander  of  the  Flirt ; 
"  if  any  person  will  volunteer,  he  can  go  for  a  day  or 
two,  since  we  are  bound  in  the  same  direction,  and  it's 
not  a  bit  out  of  our  course." 

Ned  Peale  snapped  at  the  chance,  and  said  it  would 
be  the  best  lark  in  the  world ;  and  drew  such  an  excit- 
26 


I 


290  TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

ing  picture  of  the  jolly  times  he'd  have,  playing  marine 
potentate  on  board  the  schooner,  that  the  notion  took 
possession  of  me  also,  and  I  asked  leave  to  join  him. 

"Certainly,"  said  Hazy;  "delighted  to  get  rid  of 
you ;  you're  in  every  body's  mess,  and  nobody's  watch ; 
but  here,"  he  added,  kindly,  "tell  my  steward  to  give 
you  something  to  imbibe;  and  mind  you  take  a  fine 
tooth  comb  in  your  kit,  for  there's  no  teUing  what  bed- 
fellows a  benighted  traveller  may  meet  with  among 
those  sort  of  people." 

I  told  Antonietta  I  was  going  to  tear  myself  away  for 
a  day  or  two,  perhaps,  and  then  the  little  beauty  all  at 
once  hove  in  stays,  —  I  mean  in  a  coquettish  sense,  — 
and  whimpered,  and  tried  to  persuade  me  to  renounce 
my  barbarous  design.  Nevertheless  I  was  obdurate  to 
all  persuasions,  and,  kissing  her  hands,  I  followed  Peale 
over  the  side,  and  we  pushed  off. 

"Mind,  young  gentlemen,"  said  Hazy,  before  we 
left,  "I  shall  stick  the  Flirt  well  out  when  the  sea 
breeze  makes,  and  you  had  better  work  up  with  the 
schooner  in  shore,  and  I'll  stand  in  and  have  a  look  at 
you  towards  night." 

After  an  hour's  pull,  we.  reached  the  schooner,  where 
she  lay  rocking  and  flapping  in  the  calm  ocean  swell. 
The  first  advice  Ned  Peale  gave  the  unshorn  skipper, 
as  we  tumbled  over  the  drogher's  rail,  was,  to  lower 
away  his  sails,  and  not  to  say  his  prayers  in  a  loud  tone 
of  voice  at  the  morning  mass,  in  case  he  should  perform 


TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES.  S91 

that  ceremony  afloat.  "VVe  then  lashed  the  tiller  amid- 
ships, and  rolling  ourselves  up  in  the  slack  of  the  main- 
sail, went  sound  to  sleep. 

Owing,  however,  to  some  peculiar  motion  of  the 
vessel,  I  was  the  first  to  awake ;  and  burrowing  a  hole 
out  from  the  folds  of  the  canvas,  I  caught  the  full  blaze 
of  the  sun  in  my  eyes.  "When  the  blinding  dazzle  per- 
mitted me  to  peer  about  a  bit,  I  found  that  the  old 
schooner  had  her  nose  turned  to  the  northward,  and, 
with  a  brisk  wind  off  the  land,  was  wallowing  along 
under  the  jib  and  part  of  the  foresail,  straight  back  to 
Santos  ;  and  on  looking  to  seaward,  I  saw  the  Flirt  hull 
down,  creeping  away  in  the  opposite  direction. 

"  I  say,  Ned !  "  I  cried,  "  rouse  out  of  that  stow  hole, 
and  let's  make  sail,  or  we'll  sec  Rio  before  we  do  Santa 
Catharina." 

Upon  this,  out  crawled  my  companion,  and  then  the 
pair  of  us  tramped  round  the  decks,  footed  up  the 
swarthy,  sleeping  natives,  and  desired  the  skipper  to 
bring  his  craft  by  tiie  wind,  and  prepare  some  breakfast. 

"  Filho  da  puta"  grunted  this  worthy,  addressing 
the  dull  vessel  he  commanded,  as  he  proceeded  to  strike 
a  light  for  his  paper  cigar ;  when,  slowly  putting  the 
helm  down,  he  gave  orders  to  hoist  the  sails. 

Up  went  the  dingy,  patched  old  canvas,  with  the 
hoops,  blocks,  and  grass  ropes  cursing  the  boatswain  for 
grease,  with  a  noise  like,  —  che-cpe  —  creeke-e-chcepe, 
—  until  the  gaffs  were  at  the  eyes  of  the  rigging,  aud  the 


292  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 

sails  fairly  sjjread.  Presently  the  course  was  changed, 
and  the  vessel  retraced  her  track  parallel  with  the 
coast.  Then  we  managed  to  rig  a  ragged  old  gafFtop- 
sail  for  an  awning,  and  after  ponring  a  couple  of  buckets 
of  brine  over  our  bodies,  we  repeated  our  request  for 
breakfast. 

"  Si,  senhores  !  Almoco  !  "  roared  the  skipper,  while 
the  cry  was  echoed  by  half  a  dozen  hungry-looking 
objects  around  us,  and  again  taken  up  by  a  dried,  with- 
ered, frizzled  baboon  forward,  standing  by  a  contrivance 
of  a  caboose  on  deck. 

*' Almoco !  "  shouted  they  aU. 

At  this  ebullition  the  companion  way  hatch  abaft  was 
by  a  succession  of  jerks  shoved  back  in  the  slide,  and 
there  gradually  appeared  at  the  aperture  the  nozzle  of  a 
flaming  red  umbrella,  then  the  whole  article,  followed 
by  a  pair  of  dirty  hands  clasping  a  parchment-covered 
missal,  bound  with  brass  straps.  Soon  after  we  beheld 
a  broad,  flat,  black  beaver  hat,  bombazine  gown  of  the 
6ame  hue,  and  finally  the  short,  podgy  legs  of  a  youth- 
ful priest. 

"Hullo!"  exclaimed  Ned,  "what  have  we  here?  — 
St.  Francis,  St.  Dominic,  or  one  of  the  apostles  ?  " 

As  the  individual  thus  apostrophized  turned  slowly 
about,  with  a  timorous  mien,  clutching  his  umbrella  and 
prayer  book,  in  the  hope  of  steadying  himself  against 
the  schooner's  uneasy  motion,  we  caught  a  view  of  a 
round,  cafe   au   hit  colored  visage,  while  at  the  same 


TALIS    FOR  THE    ILAKCHBS. 

dme  he  piped  forth  in  a  clear  Toice,  like  a  girl,  a  long, 
melaodiolj  howl  of  a  matinal  chant.  Before,  however, 
he  got  through  the  first  stare,  he  made  a  lurch  OTer  to 
the  lee  bulwarks,  and  there  lay  with  his  head  over  the 
water,  in  great  apparent  anguish  of  stomach. 

*'  I  saj,  Haary/*  said  Peale  to  me,  with  a  nudge, 
**  they  tell  me  that  '  there's  no  priestling  so  small  but 
has  a  popeling  in  his  bellj ; '  but  I'm  blessed  if  that 
little  jackdaw  isn't  £ist  losing  kit  chance  for  the 
Vatican." 

3Ieanwhile  I  beheld  the  old  baboon  of  a  cook,  with 
an  axe  in  his  paws,  Tigorously  chopping  away  upon  the 
rail  and  woodwork  of  the  timber  heads. 

"  Well,  what  is  that  fellow  trying  to  aduere  ?  "  we 
ejaculated  to  the  skipper. 

'*  FilAo  da  pmta/^  he  replied,  in  his  usual  expletiTe ; 
''we  foigot  to  bring  fuel,  and  since  the  schooner  is 
worthless,  we  are  taking  o£F  a  sHrer  here  and  there, 
where  it  won't  be  noticed." 

''Of  course,"  we  acquiesced;  "go  ahead;  only  don't 
cut  any  holes  where  the  water  will  come  in." 

There  was  considerable  jabbering  going  on  for  the 

ni^x"   ^alf  hour,  and  occasionally  one  or  two  of  the 

~ciild  come  up  out  of  the  hold  and  fore  peak, 

Tinted  looks ;  and  the  skipper  himself  we 

J  ::i^  about  in  the  cuddy  of  a  cabin,  open- 

---    : :.  lockers  and  tapping  casks,  when,  at 

last,  he  :: :    .  — '.        .  looking  quite  disheartened.     The 


S94  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

smoke,  however,  from  the  caboose  gave  mclications  of 
a  feast ;  and  by  and  by  the  baboon  came  aft  with  a 
bunch  of  spoons,  some  forks,  and  a  string  of  garlic  in 
one  hand,  and  a  great  iron  pot  in  the  other  —  steaming 
with  the  most  awfully  scented  mess  ever  pitched  into  a 
kid.  Depositing  this  savory  burden  on  the  deck,  he 
made  a  dive  over  the  taffrail ;  and  stretching  his  black 
fins  along  the  boat  davit,  he  cut  a  bark  strand,  which 
upheld  a  cluster  of  half-ripe  bananas,  with  his  teeth, 
and  then,  sliding  back  with  his  prize,  dropped  them  be- 
side the  forks  and  iron  pot. 

"  Fee  jap  !  "  he  shrieked  to  the  skipper,  as  he  jerked 
his  chin  in  direction  of  the  breakfist  —  by  the  by  the 
only  way  a  Guinea  nigger  ever  points. 

"  Filho  da  puta  !  O  senhores  !  almogOy'^  shouted 
the  individual  addressed,  half  in  reply  to  the  cook ; 
while  "  almogo  "  was  echoed  as  before,  fore  and  aft,  and 
in  a  moment  the  entire  company  of  twelve  or  fourteen 
men  came  crowding  like  ravenous  hounds  to  the  quar- 
ter deck. 

"  Queer  way  these  fellows  have  of  serving  the  crew 
before  the  officers,"  said  we ;  but  of  this  idea  we  were 
soon  dispossessed,  for  the  skipper  dipped  his  paw  into 
the  kettle,  and  pulled  out  a  long  tendon  of  a  strip  of 
jerked  beef,  which  looked  as  if  it  had  been  ajchoice  cut, 
just  abaft  the  horns  of  some  venerable  bull.  Taking  it, 
like  a  rope  yarn,  in  both  hands,  he,  after  one  or  two  trials, 
snapped  off  six  or   eight  inches,  and  laid  it  over  his 


TALE3    FOR   THE   MAIIIXE3.  295 

chigh,  as  he  sat  upon  the  deck.  Again  making  a  plunge 
into  the  pot,  he  fished  up  a  large  salt  stockfish  by  the 
tail ;  cut  off  a  wedge  with  a  knife,  smelled  it  very 
close  to  his  nose,  removed  his  cigar,  tasted  the  fish,  as 
if  it  was  a  wafer,  without  swallowing  the  juice ;  and 
concluding,  probably,  that  it  was  all  right,  he  laid  it 
also  on  his  leg  beside  the  beef. 

"  I  s'pose,"  muttered  Peale,  "  that  he  is  fearful  of 
poisoning  the  crew,  and  tastes  the  victuals  first  him- 
self." 

The  skipper  was,  apparently,  very  calm  and  reflective 
in  his  designs,  and  after  the  little  dalliance  with  the  pot, 
he  reached  over  to  the  bunch  of  bananas,  pinched  a 
number  until  he  found  two  to  suit  his  fancy,  which, 
breaking  from  the  stem,  he  deposited  with  the  fish 
and  beef.  Then  he  twisted  off  a  couple  of  heads  of 
garlic  from  the  string,  caught  up  a  knife  and  fork, 
rubbed  them  on  the  filthy,  tattered  tow  trousers  which 
adorned  but  one  leg  of  the  baboon,  who  stood  con- 
veniently near,  and  finally,  laying  the  entire  collection 
of  eatables  and  utensils  in  the  crown  of  his  hat,  he 
arose,  approached  the  spot  where  we  were  perched,  and 
emptied  them  before  us.  He  gave  us,  at  the  same  time, 
to  understand  that  we  could  fall  to,  at  our  earliest  lei- 
sure, without  remorse  of  conscience. 

I  was  myself  so  astounded,  that  words  forsook  me ; 
but  Ned  seized  a  fist  full  of  the  mess,  and  launched  it 
with  all  his  might  at  the  skipper ;  yelling  out,  "  You 


g96  TALES    FOR   THE    MAKINES. 

miserable,  chocolate-colored,  nasty  beast,  is  that  the 
kind  of  grub  for  a  gentleman  of  my  pretensions  and 
appetite  ?     Take  that." 

«  Filho  da  puta !  "  whined  the  Brazilian  sea  officer, 
apostrophizing  the  bony  fragment  of  stockfish  that  had 
nearly  put  his  eye  out. 

At  the  same  instant,  the  prongs  of  the  fork  stuck 
with  a  sharp  progue  into  the  flit  padre's  calves,  which 
made  him  drop  his  breviary  into  the  big  kettle,  while 
the  jerked  beef  brought  up  like  a  pair  of  spectacles 
across  the  old  cook's  nose ;  whereupon  he  shoved  the 
delicate  morsel  into  his  potato  trap,  and  sucked  it  down 
without  a  bite,  similar  to  an  antbear. 

The  hubbub  caused  by  this  unlooked-for  hostility  on 
our  part  did  not,  however,  take  away  the  appetites  of 
the  remainder  of  the  party,  who  devoured  their  meal 
to  the  smallest  mite.  The  skipper  was  as  energetic  as 
his  crew ;  and  when,  afterwards,  an  earthen  mug  of 
coffee  was  passed  round,  he  partook  of  that  also,  though 
the  beverage,  unfortunately,  had  been  decocted  from 
salt  water. 

"By  jingo,"  I  said,  '^  rather  slim  commons  this." 
But,  nevertheless,  I  pocketed  the  heads  of  garlic  lying 
at  my  feet,  to  guard  against  the  worst,  and  took  a  sip 
of  the  brandy  which  Hazy  had  given  us. 

"  It  certainly  is  very  slim  diet,"  rejoined  Ned  ;  "  but 
let's  catechize  the  villain,  and  find  out  what  all  this  joke 
means." 


TALES    FOR   THE    MArJNE3.  297 

After  arraigning  the  fellow  and  putting  a  few  leading 
questions,  what  M'as  our  dismay  to  learn  that  the  vessel 
had  left  Santos  with  only  two  days'  provision ;  and 
behold,  it  was  all  gone. 

"  What,"  said  we,  '^  no  water,  nor  beef,  nor  bread  ?  " 

"  None  ;  not  an  ounce  of  any  thing  eatable  in  the 
drogher." 

"Why,  what  an  ass  of  a  skipper  you  were,  not  to 
get  supplied  last  night  from  the  brig,  instead  of  enticing 
valuable  officers  on  board  of  this  miserable  hulk  to 
starve  to  death  !  " 

Well,  the  idiot  swore  by  as«  many  as  thirty  saints, 
male  and  female,  that  he  expected  to  have  reached  Pa- 
ranagua  before  ;  and  in  short,  that  he  did  not  know  the 
provisions  were  entirely  consumed,  until  the  baboon  had 
announced  that  dismal  fact,  just  before  (what  he  called) 
breakfast. 

You  may  be  sure  Peale  and  I  were  struck  all  aback 
when  these  tidings  were  related,  and  we  resolved  at  once 
to  steer  for  the  brig. 

"  But  where,  in  the  name  of  starvation,  is  the  Flirt  ?  " 
said  I. 

"  O,  out  of  sight,  nearly,"  exclaimed  Ned,  as  he 
attentively  aired  his  eye  through  the  spyglass;  "just 
taken  the  young  sea  breeze  ;  and  there  she  goes,  snort- 
ing off  the  coast  like  a  race  horse." 

"  Well,  then,  let's  edge  in  for  the  land,  and  pick  up 
a  mouthful  to  eat  along  shore." 


298  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

*f  Willingly,"  said  Ned,  "  if  we  don't  collapse  before 
we  get  there." 

Away,  some  thirty  miles  on  our  starboard  bow  and 
beam,  the  land  was  plainly  visible.  The  wind,  however, 
was  fast  dying,  and  before  the  sun  had  passed  the  me- 
ridian we  were  becalmed.  A  little  later,  the  sea  breeze 
tossed  the  caps  of  the  waves  nearly  into  spoon  drift, 
within  a  mile  to  seaward  of  us  ;  yet  it  did  not  touch  us 
until  about  four  o'clock,  and  then  only  gave  us  a  push 
of  a  few  leagues  towards  the  coast. 

During  this  period,  Xed  and  I  exerted  ourselves  in 
trimming  the  old  drogher,  rebending  the  sails,  hoisting 
them  taut  up,  and  doing  all  we  could  to  improve  her 
sailing  as  much  as  practicable.  We  made  our  dinner 
and  breakfast  that  day  both  in  one,  on  the  garlic  I  had 
stowed  in  my  jacket  pocket,  and  swore  like  troopers,  at 
our  stupidity  in  refusing  the  repast  set  before  us  in  the 
morning  by  the  skipper. 

Towards  evening  we  took  a  heavy  pull  at  the  brandy 
bottle,  and  regarded  the  fat,  podgy  legs  of  the  priest 
with  cannibalistic  propensities. 

The  only  person,  I  believe,  on  board,  who  was  quite 
indifferent  about  our  plight,  was  Maltese  Joe ;  whom  we 
could  hear  laughing,  in  his  delirium,  down  the  close, 
hot  hold,  in  great  glee,  and  seemingly  enjoying  himself 
hugely.  The  noise  of  this  maniac  rather  increased 
than  alleviated  the  horrors  of  our  hungry  imaginations ; 
and  we  had  serious  thoughts  of   stealing  away  in  the 


TALES    FOR   THE    MAEINES.  299 

stern  boat,  and  making  a  bolt  for  the  beecb ;  but,  un- 
luckily, it  was  such  a  miserable,  crazy  tub  of  a  yawl, 
that  we  should  not  have  been  able  to  paddle  ten  miles 
in  a  week ;  so  we  gave  up  that  project  in  despair. 

By  sunset  it  was  again  a  flat  calm  ;  and  for  want  of 
something  to  keep  our  jaws  occupied,  Xed  drew  a 
bullet  from  one  of  his  pistols,  and  gave  me  half  to  chew 
upon,  reserving  the  remaining  ball  to  shoot  the  priest 
like  a  gentleman  and  a  martyr,  when  affairs  got  to  be 
desperate.  The  lead  was  not  nourishing,  but  still  it 
gave  us  employment. 

As  for  sleep,  it  was  out  of  the  question ;  and  we 
waited,  in  the  most  gnawing  suspense,  until  past  mid- 
night, when  the  light  ruffle  of  the  land  wind  came 
stealthily  over  the  water  and  filled  our  sails.  "VVe 
hugged  the  shore  as  close  as  possible,  gaining  consid- 
erably ;  and  we  hoped  by  morning  to  be  up  with 
Iguape,  where  there  was  a  track  of  small  coasting  tra- 
ders, and  the  chance  of  being  relieved  from  our  em- 
barrassments. Towards  morning,  the  wind  again  became 
faint,  and  our  stomachs  thoroughly  exasperated ;  so  we 
insisted  upon  the  skipper  sending  the  boat  ahead  to 
tow.  While  the  crew  were  employed  in  that  labor, 
we  persuaded  the  docile  young  padre  to  chant  some  of 
the  most  sonorous  and  admired  canticles  of  the  church, 
to  sustain  the  men  who  were  toiling  at  the  oars.  It  was 
about  the  change  of  the  moon,  and  by  sunrise  the  sky 
had  become  obscured  by  masses  of  heavy  clouds,  and 


300  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

all  of  a  sudden  a  copious  tropical  snower  came  down  in 
buckets  full. 

Heavens  !  liow  sucking  the  saturated  canvas  and 
scooping  the  fresh  water  out  of  the  scuppers  revived  us  ! 
"  And,  by  the  Lord,"  remarked  the  Lieutenant,  "  it's 
worth  just  such  a  thirst,  occasionally,  to  fully  appreciate 
the  value  of  that  pure  element." 

Well,  Ned  and  I  were  so  jolly  after  this  refreshment, 
that  we  quite  forgot  our  hunger,  and  induced  the 
chubby  padre  to  give  us  his  history.  As  for  history,  he 
said  he  hadn't  any.  He  was  junior  organist  of  the  cathe- 
dral at  San  Paulo  ;  was  going  on  a  visit  to  his  brother  at 
Santa  Catharina,  and  had  been  offered  passage  part  of  the 
way  in  the  schooner,  which  he  had  accepted  ;  may  the 
good  St.  Andre  forgive  him.  All  the  baggage  he  owned 
was  the  red  umbrella  and  the  breviary  ;  and  he  ended  his 
biography  by  telling  us  how  to  determine  the  coming  of 
Lent,  and  other  movable  fasts  of  the  true  church.  After 
this  effort,  we  gave  him  a  drop  of  grog,  and  Ned  Peale 
proposed  a  toast. 

"  My  starving  friends,"  he  began,  "  I  propose,  The 
navy,  the  army,  and  the  marines  ;  "  the  padre  timidly 
suggested,  "  The  church  ; "  and  I,  being  sorely  enam- 
oured with  the  cruel  little  Creole,  added,  "  The  ladies  ;  " 
to  which  Ned,  who  had  slept  in  a  watch  house  in  his 
time,  concluded  with,  "The  police."  Whereupon  we 
buried  our  mugs,  seriatim,  in  the  tin  cup  which  held  the 
grog,  and  each  tossed  off  his  portion. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  301 

By  tliis  time  a  breeze  started  up  from  the  southward, 
the  boat  was  called  alongside,  and  the  skipper  made 
preparations  for  beating  to  windward.  Taking  the 
helm,  he  shouted  some  order  in  Portuguese ;  upon 
which  his  subordinates  all  lighted  paper  cigars,  and  then 
awaited  further  instructions.  Down  went  the  tiller, 
the  old  hulk  slowly  came  up  to  the  wind  ;  but  after 
nodding  and  dodging  about  a  while,  she  missed  stays. 

"  Filho  da  puta  !  "  roared  the  skipper,  as  he  carefully 
detached  the  cigarito  from  his  lips. 

"  Filho  (la  puta  !  "  shouted  the  crew,  as  they  took 
up  the  cry  of  their  chief,  while  the  vessel  fell  doggedly 
off  from  the  wind.  This  course  of  tactics  was  at- 
tempted, with  no  better  results,  several  times,  until 
Peale  advised  the  yawl  to  be  sent  out  again,  to  tow  the 
bow  round,  when  we  happily  got  on  the  other  tack. 
While  Ned  was  forward,  giving  directions  about  this 
delicate  manoeuvre,  he  sang  out  to  me,  — 

"  Hurrah,  Gringo !  here's  a  canoe,  or  bolsa,  close 
aboard." 

True  enough,  a  large  market  canoe,  with  outriggers 
and  mat  sail,  had  come  upon  us  during  the  rain  showers  ; 
and  what  was  more  agreeable,  she  had  a  cargo  of  melons, 
mandioca,  yams,  some  tallow,  and  aguardiente. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  had  bartered  away  all  the  light 

articles  we  could  scrape  together  on  board  the  drogher 

—  the   old  gafftopsail,  our  neckerchiefs,  a  musket,  the 

Maltese's    Panama    hat,  and    even  the    singing  padre's 

26 


302  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

valuable  umbrella.  He,  poor  fellow,  had  dreadful  mis- 
givings about  parting  with  his  property  ;  but  the  sight 
and  taste  of  a  monkey  jar  full  of  kesash,  and  the  man- 
dioca  flour,  soothed  his  feelings ;  and  I  believe  that  in 
another  moment  he  would  have  thrown  his  missal, 
gown,  and  stockings  into  the  general  bargain,  had  not 
the  canoe  shoved  off. 

It  was  not  many  minutes  before  the  grizzled  baboon 
had  split  up  more  of  the  bulwarks,  with  a  few  shavings 
from  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit,  and  had  raised  a  blazing  fire 
in  the  caboose.  There  we  kept  him,  busy  as  a  demon, 
frying  cakes  in  tallow,  and  roasting  yams,  —  which  we 
all  relished  exceedingly,  —  until  near  midnight ;  when 
the  perverse  old  nigger  dropped  do^\  n  exhausted,  and 
swore,  in  his  own  dialect,  that  the  fetish  might  eat  him 
before  he  would  cook  another  mouthful. 

"  Filho  da  puta !  "  growled  the  lethargic  skipper,  in 
his  wonted  tones. 

We  had  all,  however,  enough  ;  and  since  the  wind 
was  baffling,  and  the  night  rainy,  we  lowered  the  sails 
again ;  when  Ned  and  I  once  more  betook  ourselves  to 
our  temporary  retreat  within  the  folds  of  the  mainsail. 

The  following  day  was  dull,  cloudy,  and  rainy,  ac- 
companied by  sharp  thunder  and  lightning,  with  light,  j 
variable  airs,  which,  however,  did  not  last  for  ten 
minutes  at  a  time.  We  had  sagged  well  in  with  the 
coast,  either  by  current  or  luck,  and  the  skipper  de- 
clared that  he  knew  by  the  hills,  which  we  got  a  peep 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  SOS 

at  occasionally,  that  we  were  near  Paranagua  Island.  Still 
we  could  see  nothing  of  the  polacre,  nor,  what  was  to  us 
infinitely  worse,  not  a  vestige  of  the  dear  little  Flirt. 
Nevertheless,  we  made  ourselves  as  comfortable  as  cir- 
cumstances would  admit,  and  divided  our  time  between 
the  priest,  the  flapjacks,  the  aguardiente,  and  smoking 
tobacco  wrapped  in  maize  husks. 

It  required  a  fair  share  of  philosophy  to  accomplish 
even  this  ;  for  we  were  alternately  drenched  with  rain, 
and  dried  again  by  the  hot  sun,  which  ever  and  anon 
peered  out  for  half  an  hour  or  so  between  the  thunder 
showers.  Had  there  been  a  readable  book  on  board,  it 
might  have  alleviated  our  miseries  ;  but  the  only  one  was 
the  little  padre's  missal,  and  as  it  was  printed  in  what 
appeared  to  our  inerudite  eyes  black  letter  Latin,  we 
could  not  make  out  a  word,  any  more  than  the  owner 
himself.  We  made,  hoM'ever,  numerous  marginal  notes 
on  the  vellum,  which,  I  fancy,  rather  surprised  any 
learned  prebendary  who  may  have  chanced,  at  a  later 
period,  to  peruse  them. 

Another  night  came  and  passed.  Ned  Peale  assured 
me  that  he  began  to  feel  in  an  incipient  state  of  lousi 
ness  ;  that  the  mandioca  flapjacks  were  injurious  to  his 
constitution  ;  and  if  he  could  procure  a  bit  of  chalk,  he 
would  like  to  write  his  will  in  the  crown  of  his  cap  be- 
fore  he  bade  a  final  adieu  to  his  friends  and  the  world. 
The   skipper   and  his   myrmidons,  on  the  other  hand. 


S04  TALES    rOR    THE   MARINES. 

seemed  to  be  basking  in  a  true  Brazilian  paradise  — 
nothing  to  do  and  plenty  to  eat. 

The  weather  at  sunrise  was  the  same  as  the  day  be- 
fore ;  but  as  we  now  felt  sure  of  being  up  with  the 
island,  Ned  jumped  on  a  fragment  of  the  quarter  rail, 
that  had  not  been  entirely  hacked  into  firewood  by  the 
baboon,  and  shinning  up  the  Tciar  shrouds  of  the  main 
rigging  a  few  feet,  he  sung. out,  with  a  joyful  note, — 

"  By  George  !  there's  a  square  rigger  under  topsails 
just  looming  up  through  that  thick  stuff  away  on  the 
beam  !  and  here's  the  land,  too,  close  aboard  !  " 

**  Ay,"  I  exclaimed  ;  "  and  the  brig  of  war  also ! 
Look !  " 

We  called  the  boy  who  had  been  left  by  Spuke  in 
charge  of  his  boat  on  the  occasion  of  the  skrimmage  at 
the  pulperia,  who  affirmed  that  the  craft  seen  by  Peale 
was  the  polacre  ;  he  knew  her  by  a  new  breadth  of  cloth 
in  the  jib.  As  for  the  Flirt,  there  was  no  mistaking  her 
taunt,  trig  masts,  clear,  razor-edge  bow,  and  white  cot- 
ton canvas.  She  was  under  easy  sail,  and  evidently  on 
the  lookout  for  us,  as  was  likewise  the  polacre.  There 
we  were,  in  the  midst  of  the  party ;  but  being  a  smallish 
craft,  and  the  weather  thick  and  murky,  we  were  not 
discovered. 

By  and  by  there  came  up  a  snap  of  a  squall ;  and, 
as  we  were  not  paying  particular  attention  to  seaman- 
ship, it  gave  us  a  lick  in  the  slack  of  the  mainsail,  with 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  305 

SO  smart  a  jerk  that  the  boom  overhauled  the  whole 
length  of  the  sheet  in  a  jifFy,  sent  the  fat  little  padre  an 
acrobat  through  the  air,  and  with  a  loud  crack  carried 
away  the  rotten  old  boom  short  off  at  the  sheet  blocks. 

"  Filho  da  pufa  !  "  exclaimed  the  skipper,  while  the 
rest  of  us  did  all  we  could  to  get  the  sail  down  and  clear 
the  wreck,  and  the  baboon  instantly  began  to  chop  away 
on  the  fractured  boom.  « 

At  the  same  time  the  Maltese  below,  getting  tlnrsty, 
perhaps,  —  for  the  Lord  only  knows  whether  he  had 
tasted  a  drop  of  v^ater  since  sailing,  —  raised  as  horri- 
ble a  series  of  yells  and  demoniac  howls  for  "  agua  ! 
agua—a  I  "  as  ever  came  from  fevered  lungs. 

One  squall,  however,  no  sooner  passed  than  another 
would  flurry  around  us,  from,  may  be,  the  opposite  di- 
rection ;  and  thus  we  had  our  hands  full,  in  the  crazy 
old  drogher,  to  lower  and  roll  up  the  sails  as  soon  as 
possible.  AVe  had  fears,  too,  of  being  capsized  and 
sunk,  since  there  were  only  a  few  stones  and  shingle  bal- 
last in  bulk  in  the  hold,  and  part  of  that  had  shifted  in 
the  first  puff ;  so  that  we  heeled  over  like  a  fellow  with 
a  short  wooden  leg  on  the  side  of  a  hill. 

"  Pleasant  times  these  !  "  muttered  Ned,  whose  dis- 
gust was  approaching  a  climax  ;  "  and  there's  a  legion  oi 
waterspouts  forming  all  around  us,  besides.  Shouldn't 
be  the  least  surprised  if  we  were  sucked  up  into  the 
clouds  somewhere,  and  then  rained  down  again  in  the 
woods,  and  reported  for  a  remarkable  phenomenon. 
^6* 


306  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

Heavens  !  did  you  ever  hear  sucK  thunder  ?     I  wish  I 
had  no  ears  for  a  couple  of  minutes." 

"  Nor  eyes  either/'  I  thought,  as  the  rapid  volleys 
of  celestial  artillery  and  the  flashes  of  Hghtning  nearly 
stunned  and  blinded  us. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  though,"  said  Ned,  after  a  pause  ; 
"  I'm  going  to  get  some  of  these  Diegos'  muskets  ready 
to  tap  the  shell  of  any  of  those  spouts  that  may  come 
dancing  near  us.  Harry  Greenfield  has  had  experience 
in  these  matters,  and  I've  heard  him  say  that  a  bullet 
pitched  into  their  bodies  will  let  all  the  water  out  in  no 
time." 

Accordingly  we  desired  the  skipper  to  hand  out  a 
couple  of  muskets  and  ammunition  from  a  locker  near  the 
taffrail ;  but  on  examining  them,  we  found  the  powder 
soaking  wet,  and  the  arms  covered  with  rust.  But 
Ned,  not  to  be  outdone  in  his  design,  carried  a  flask  to 
the  galley,  and  pouring  about  a  pound  of  powder  into 
an  iron  pot,  directed  the  cook  to  dry  it  over  the  warm 
ashes. 

Fortunately  at  this  juncture  my  companion  came  aft 
to  cut  up  a  piece  of  the  mainsail  to  polish  and  clean  out 
the  barrels  of  the  muskets ;  for  as  he  reached  me,  there 
was  a  dull,  quiet  sort  of  an  explosion,  followed  by  a 
huge  puff  of  thick,  white  smoke,  which  completely  ob- 
scured the  schooner  forward.  The  moment  it  cleared 
away,  we  saw  the  rickety  old  caboose  completely  de- 
molished ;  the  bricks  scattered  around ;    a  few   embers 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  807 

and  splinters  of  the  boom  and  bulwarks  blazing  about ; 
the  old  black  baboon  lying  on  his  back,  with  his  heels 
up  in  the  air,  his  wool  singed  to  a  crisp,  and  screaming, 
in  his  Guinea  gibberish,  with  all  his  vocal  power. 

"  Filho  da  puta  !  "  ejaculated  the  terrified  skipper,  as 
a  fragment  of  an  earthen  pot  was  hiu'led  by  the  force 
of  the  powder,  and,  grazing  his  foot,  barked  his  shins 
grievously  ;  while  the  pious  padre  pattered  a  misericor- 
dia,  and  Ned  Peale  swore  that  the  flapjack  baking  was 
done  for,  and  for  the  future  we  should  have  to  subsist 
on  chewed  bullets.  The  cause  of  the  disaster  was  a 
few  live  coals  dropped  into  the  kettle  by  the  old  cook, 
to  hasten  the  process  of  drying  the  powder. 

AVhether  it  was  the  noise  of  the  explosion  or  the 
smoke  that  the  vessels  in  our  vicinity  first  perceived  I 
do  not  know ;  but  both  had  now  observed  us,  and  the 
Flirt  had  braced  round  her  yards,  with  her  nose  pointed 
after  us  from  seaward,  while  the  polacre  had  let  fall  her 
foresail,  and  squared  away  from  the  du'ection  of  Par- 
anagua. 

At  this  time  there  must  have  been  at  the  least  a  score 
of  waterspouts,  reeling  and  twisting,  with  their  hollow, 
waving  cones,  within  a  mile  of  us.  Some  were  like 
long  coach  whips,  others  resembled  inverted  palm  trees, 
pending  from  the  heavy,  slate-colored  clouds  above, 
waving  their  tapering  tubes  in  graceful  motion,  until  a 
white  whirl  would  be  perceived  in  the  sea  beneath,  and 
the  next  instant  the  agitated  water  would  rise  in  a  liquid 


308  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

cone,  and  joining  the  ragged,  vapory  section  above, 
would  go  spinning,  in  a  clear,  dark-blue  or  brown  hue, 
over  the  undulating  ocean.  Sometimes  they  M'ould 
move  with  great  velocity  —  ten  miles  the  hour  ;  again, 
lazy,  and  almost  motionless,  bending  at  a  great  angle, 
as  if  about  to  fall  asunder ;  and  then  straightening  up, 
like  a  beautifully  turned  column,  would  waltz  away  in 
a  new  direction. 

There  was  a  pair  of  these  spouts,  of  heavier  calibre 
than  their  companions,  which  came  on  one  after  the 
other,  running  a  kind  of  sweepstakes  race,  directly  be- 
tween the  drogher  and  the  polacre.  The  headmost  fel- 
low went  spinning  on  past  our  bow,  twisting  and  draw- 
ing up  an  enormous  hollow  column  of  water,  roaring 
and  rushing,  with  the  noise  of  a  tempest,  out  to  seaward, 
beyond  the  calm  spot  where  we  lay.  Its  mate,  however, 
appeared  rotating  along  in  a  slow,  dignified  gait  on  the 
lofty,  vertical  axis,  until  it  came  in  a  line  with  the  schoon- 
er, when,  swaying  and  bending  its  liquid  back  until  near- 
ly broken  in  twain,  it  seemed  to  recover  its  lost  energy, 
and  with  a  cone  of  increased  diameter  and  immense  ve- 
locity, it  whirled  towards  the  polacre. 

*'  Stand  from  under  that  shower,  Mr.  Nash,  or  you'll 
get  your  toes  damp,"  said  Peale,  drawing  a  long  breath, 
while  the  trembling  padre  quavered  an  ave,  and  the 
skipper  gave  vent  to  his  usual  phrase  of  '^  Filho  da 
puta!  "  addressed  to  the  world  at  large. 

A  squall  of  rain  passed  over  us  at  the  moment,  and 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  309 

when  it  had  partially  cleared,  so  that  we  could  see  a  ca- 
ble's length,  we  cast  our  eyes  over  the  ocean,  but  could 
detect  nothing  of  the  polacre  or  waterspout.  Both 
had  disappeared,  and  there  was  the  placid  water,  undu- 
lating gently,  and  the  sun  bursting  out  from  a  patch 
of  insultingly  blue  sky,  lighting  up   the  sea  all  around. 

"  Yes,"  exclaimed  Ned,  ''  I  think  there's  something 
black  off  here,  like  a  vessel  bottom  side  up.  And,  hil- 
loo  !  here's  the  Flirt's  cutter  !  " 

Presently  the  oars  of  the  boat  were  tossed  alongside 
the  drogher,  and  Makeen  sat  in  the  stern  sheets,  grinning 
with  more  than  ordinary  rapture,  and  making  all  kind 
inquiries  after  our  health,  spirits,  and  cruise.  We 
lost  no  time  in  embracing  Mak,  first  letting  ourselves 
drop  by  the  run  on  top  of  him ;  and  then,  taking  the 
skipper  and  the  priest,  to  whom  we  had  become  fondly 
attached,  with  us  in  the  cutter,  the  men  dashed  away  for 
the  wreck. 

We  had  not  half  a  mile  to  pull ;  but  before  reaching 
the  spot,  Hazy,  with  the  Flirt's  gig,  a  long,  slim,  muscle 
shell  looking  vehicle,  with  seventeen-feet  oars,  came 
sweeping  up  to  us  hand  over  hand.  On  nearing  the  wreck, 
we  passed  fragments  of  spars,  with  sails  and  stranded 
cordage  attached ;  and  just  beyond  lay  the  hull  of  the 
polacre  on  her  broadside,  and  being  deeply  laden,  it  was 
rapidly  settling  down  in  the  water.  There  was  a  flock 
of  tame  ducks  and  some  fowls  swimming  and  cackling 
about  the  floating  articles,  and  we  saw  the  uplifted  arms 


SIO  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

of  a  drowning  negro,  with  the  fingers  t"s\'itching  convul- 
sively as  he  went  under,  either  by  the  aid  of  fright,  or 
a  shark  at  his  heels ;  and  although  the  bowman  of  the 
gig  pushed  his  long  oar  blade  down  after  him,  yet  the 
poor  fellow  did  not  take  hold. 

The  only  other  human  being  visible  was  an  individu- 
al hanging  to  the  main  channels  of  the  vessel,  without  a 
hat,  but  standing  in  a  huge  pair  of  fisherman's  boots, 
and  with  a  spy  glass  tucked  under  his  arm. 

The  cutter  was  the  first  to  reach  this  man,  and  then 
only  in  time  to  drag  him  into  the  boat  before  the  lum- 
bering wreck  gave  forth  a  volume  of  loud  bubbling 
noises,  from  the  confined  air  below  the  decks  ;  then 
rolling  half  over  in  the  ocean  swell,  she  rapidly  sank. 

During  this  occurrence,  the  person  who  had  been  res- 
cued seemed  to  be  in  a  dream  ;  but  as  the  eddies  and 
foam  caused  by  the  dying  throes  of  his  lost  bark  exhib- 
ited the  reality  of  the  thing,  he  started  hastily  up  from 
the  thawt,  and  indulged  in  a  kind  of  apostrophe  to  the 
terrific  water  spout. 

'^Wal,  if  that  air  warn't  the  most  cantankerous 
streak  of  greased  lightnin  that  ever  I  see,  I  hope  to  be 
darned  tu  all  eternal  smash.  It  tuk  me  clean  up  to  the 
planets,  I  ra-aly  du  believe,  and  washed  the  hull  of  the 
skin  off  my  chops  in  abeout  a  minute ;  and  I'm  all  shriv- 
elled up,  jist  like  a  washerwoman's  thumb.  Polacre  gone 
tu !  twisted  and  shivered  all  ter  toothpicks,  and  a  full 
carger  of  splendid  sugar  and   coffee,  worth  ten  cents  a 


TALES   FOR    THE  MARINES.  311 

pound  in  ther  States  !  I  svreow  I  wonder  what  Spuke  '11 
say  !  Cuss  the  darned  spoutin'  funnil ;  it  warn't  my 
fault,  no  how  !    But  my  feelins  is  po-ig-nant,  sartin." 

«'How  are  you.  Captain  Nash?"  I  broke  in,  inter- 
rupting his  soliloquy. 

"  Why,  who  the  hell  be  you  ?  "  the  rascal  exclaimed, 
as  he  swung  round  with  unfeigned  surprise ;  but  recov- 
ering his  wits,  he  glanced  over  the  boats,  and  then,  with 
his  leery,  sharp,  hazel  eyes  towards  the  old  drogher, 
he  went  on. 

"  0,  golly !  Boys,  yu  belong  to  ther  war  brig  theer, 
eh^  I  remember  neow,  I  was  squintin  at  ye  with  the 
glass,  when  that  air  water  fixter  capsized  my  wessel ;  I 
wos  on  the  pint  of  speakin  that  air  skuner  down  theer ; 
so  shove  us  aboard  her,  will  ye,  little  chap  ?  " 

The  concluding  portion  of  this  speech  was  addressed 
to  Makeen,  who  replied,  — 

**  Certainly,  Boots,"  —  in  allusion  to  the  extreme  dis- 
proportion his  pedal  coverings  bore  to  the  rest  of  his 
apparel,  —  "  but  hadn't  you  better  first  get  shrived  by 
this  amiable  little  priest,  and  provide  yourself  with  a 
long  spoon,  in  case  the  hot  old  gentleman  below  should 
invite  you  to  sip  a  bowl  of  soup ;  for  your  smuggling 
game  of  coflfee  and  sugar  is  all  up  in  this  world." 

"  Yu  lie,  fur  sartin,"  was  the  polite  rejoinder.  "  I'm 
on  a  fair  and  square  tradin  vyge." 

"  Yes,"  I  edged  in,  mimicking  his  whiny,  nasal  drawl, 
"  with  Mr.  Spuke,  who  has  a  tombstone  over  his  head 


312  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

and  is  toes  up  at  Santos ;  and  you  have  a  chance  for  a 
pair  of  twenty  pound  iron  gaiters  on  your  shanks  at 
E-io,  for  your  share  of  the  copper  venture." 

The  fellow  half  closed  his  ferret-shaped  eyes,  and  said 
no  more,  except  in  selling  his  spy  glass  to  one  of  the 
cutter's  crew  for  a  dollar;  and  then  proceeded  to  pare 
his  nails  w*ith  his  jackknife,  as  if  nothing  of  conse- 
quence had  happened  to  him.  Even  on  getting  on 
board  the  drogher,  he  submitted  to  being  put  in  double 
irons,  and  rather  rough  treatment  by  the  crew,  without 
a  murmur ;  but  when  the  black  cook  tried  to  poke  a  little 
fun  at  him,  he  fetched  the  old  baboon  such  a  wipe  with 
his  handcuflfs  as  nearly  to  sever  the  upper  lip  from  the 
jaw.  After  this  he  was  tumbled  below  into  the  stifling 
hold,  to  keep  company  with  Maltese  Joe. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  Hazy  supplied  the 
drogher  with  a  few  days'  provisions  and  water,  fished  the 
main  boom,  patched  up  the  caboose,  and  taking  the 
padre  along  with  us  for  a  lift  to  St.  Catharine's,  the  skip- 
per lighted  his  paper  cigar,  put  his  helm  up,  shouted, 
^'  Filho  da  puta"  and  bore  away  for  Eio  Janeiro  with 
his  prisoners. 

As  it  may  not  occur  to  me  again,  Fred,  quoth  the 
Lieutenant,  as  he  halted  in  his  narrative,  to  speak  of  the 
fate  of  these  worthies,  I  may  as  well  finish  them  now 
in  a  very  few  words. 

It  was,  perhaps,  three  years  after  the  disaster  to  the 
polacre,  that  I  was  standing,  one  fine  moonlight  night, 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  313 

with,  a  number  of  officers  belonging  to  tbe  Juniata,  on 
the  slope  of  the  palace  stairs,  at  Rio,  waiting  for  a  boat 
to  go  on  board.  Suddenly  there  sprang  out  a  figure 
from  the  shade  of  the  wall  near  by,  and  dealing  me  a 
smart  blow  on  the  side  in  passing,  lie  leaped  with  a 
bound  towards  the  water.  At  the  instant  the  sharp  bow 
of  the  corvette's  cutter  came  swiftly  in,  bows  on  to  the 
pier,  and  the  person  who  plunged  head  foremost  from 
the  steps  to  escape  us  came  full  in  contact  with  the  hard 
iron-rimmed  stem  of  the  boat,  with  so  heavy  a  shock 
that  her  way  was  in  a  moment  checked.  We  heard  a 
loud  groan  as  the  injured  man  dropped  into  the  thick, 
muddy  water  of  the  inner  harbor  ;  a  few  bubbles  and 
sparkles  followed  the  splash,  but  the  crew  could  not  dis- 
cover the  body. 

When  the  fellow  struck  at  me,  between  my  left  arm 
and  side,  we  heard  also  a  faint  cry  of  pain  from  some 
one  immediately  at  my  elbow ;  and  on  turning  to  look 
for  the  cause,  we  found  that  one  of  the  gun  room  ser- 
vants, a  quiet  lad,  named  Antonio,  had  been  badly 
stabbed  in  the  groin,  by  the  thrust  of  a  knife,  no  doubt 
intended  for  me.  He  was  taken  to  the  United  States 
in  the  Juniata,  and  after  suffering  for  many  months  in 
the  hospital,  eventually  recovered.  A  day  or  two  after 
this  incident,  old  Kit  Dolphin  went  to  visit  a  former 
shipmate,  who  was  lying  ill  in  the  Misericordia,  and 
there  in  the  frightful  morgue  of  that  dreadful  lazar 
house,  he  saw  stretched  upon  a  wet  mat  the  rigid,  bloated 
27 


314  TALES    FOR  THE    MARINES. 

corpse  of  Maltese  Joe.     Kit    knew   him  by  the    large 
white  tusk  which  projected  from  the  hair  lip. 

'  Subsequently,  we  learned  that  the  Maltese  and  Nash 
had  been  condemned  to  ten  years  in  chains  on  Cobras 
Island,  and  that  both  had  recently  escaped.  What  be- 
came of  the  astute  Elias,  I  never  positively  knew  ;  but 
many  years  after  the  death  of  his  companions,  while  I 
was  cruising  in  the  Pacific  on  board  the  old  Penguin,  I 
was  told  that  an  individual  answering  to  the  description 
of  Mr.  Nash  had  been  driving  a  highly  profitable  busi- 
ness in  the  opium  trade  at  Canton  Piver. 

Forgive  my  tediousness,  observed  the  Lieutenant  to 
the  ladies,  after  the  above  digression  ;  but  you  know  that 
in  a  matter  of  contemporaneous  history,  one  wishes  to 
be  precise.  We  will  return,  if  you  please,  to-morrow, 
to  our  cruise  in  the  Flirt. 


CHAPTEH    IX. 

"  Frightful  ! "  ejaculated  Commander  Hazv,  as  he 
heard  the  conclusion  of  our  exploits  and  trials  on  board 
the  schooner  from  Ned  Peale's  lips  —  "  frightful ;  but  I 
did  cherish  the  hope/'  he  added,  smiling  waggishly  at 
me,  as  I  stood  beside  my  sweet  young  Creole  brunette, 
'^  that  you  would  have  had  '  an  alacrity  in  sinking,'  and 
been  drowned  like  ^  a  blind  bitch's  puppies,  fifteen  i'  the 
litter,'  for  I  have  been  very  unhappy  since  your  de- 
parture." Here  he  bowed  with  mock  sensibility  to 
the  Spanish  beauty  and  murmured  with  expressive 
feeling,  — 

"  The  time  I've  lost  in  wooing,  in  watching,  and  pursuing 
The  light  that  lies  in  woman's  eyes,  has  been  my  soul's  undoing." 

Still,  with  all  Hazy's  side  play,  he  was  delighted  to 
get  us  back,  shook  us  warmly  by  the  hand,  ordered 
Imperial  Caesar  to  lay  before  us  the  treasures  of  the 
cabin  pantry,  and  laughed  till  the  tears  bedewed  his 
cheeks  at  Ned  Peale's  repetition  of  our  miseries  and 
starvations  on  board  the  prize.  He  also  made  an  im- 
pressive oration  to  the  priest,  out  of  the  Latin  grammar, 
md  directed  the   sailmaker  forthwith  to  construct,  for 

(315) 


316     '  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

the  pious  father,  an  umbrella  of  No.  2  duck  canvas,  to 
suj^ply  the  place  of  the  red  one. 

"We  were  all  happy  as  clams  at  high  water  that 
evening ;  but  the  next  morning,  v/hen  I  found  the  Flirt 
jumping  over  the  waves,  and  the  spray  flying  well  up 
into  her  courses,  as  she  lay  over  to  a  stiff  sea  breeze, 
with  the  Island  of  Arvoredo  on  the  weather  bow,  I 
began  to  fear  that  my  roving  independence  was  drawing 
to  a  close,  and  that  I  should  soon  be  in  the  traces  again. 

We  had  scarcely  got  through  dinner  when  Harry 
Greenfield  insinuated  his  proboscis  inside  the  cabin  door, 
and  reported  that  the  "  commedoor  had  showed  his 
number  in  answer  to  ourn,  sir." 

"  All  right,"  said  Hazy ;  "  much  obliged  for  the  at- 
tention. Here's  his  health,  and  allow  me  to  add,  God 
bless  the  rich  ;  the  poor  can  beg  ;  and  since  I've  hypoth- 
ecated my  pay  for  the  next  twelve  months,  I  shall  look 
to  virtue  for  my  reward." 

After  these  philosophic  sentiments,  we  all  went  on 
deck,  and  an  hour  later  our  pretty  little  clipper  brig 
anchored  demurely  under  the  counter  of  the  Colombine, 
a  great  heavy  double-banked  frigate,  painted  as  black  as 
a  raven. 

By  the  way,  ladies,  paused  the  Lieutenant,  as  he  ran 
his  hands  through  his  hair,  you  can't  paint  a  ship 
a  dead  black,  unless  she  is  symmetry  itself.  Just  like 
a  snub-nosed  woman  trying  to  wear  her  hair  brushed 
straight  back  a  la  Pompadour  I    I  tell  you  that  it  is  the 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  317 

only  test  of  true  arcliitectural  beauty  as  applied  to  ships. 
I  never,  in  point  of  fact,  saw  but  two  that  could  stand 
it ;  one  a  smashing  big  English  frigate,  called  the  Con- 
stance, and  the  other  our  own  Colombine.  Now,  a  plain 
woman's  sprightliness  and  wit  may  carry  off  any  style, 
as  bizarre  as  you  please  ;  but  a  ship  must  of  inanimate 
necessity  rely  upon  her  body  and  legs,  and  without 
these  essential  elements  to  admiration,  great  care  should 
be  paid  to  the  paint.  At  least,  that  is  my  opinion  as  a 
Christian,  in  this  progressive  age,  havmg  a  regard  gen- 
erally for  the  appearance  of  ships,  qualified  the  narra- 
tor, as  he  again  caught  up  the  link  of  his  discourse. 

The  anchorage  at  Santa  Catharina  was  in  a  small  bight 
of  the  main  land,  under  an  old  ruin  of  a  moss-covered 
fort,  and  abreast  the  house  of  a  burly  down-easter,  who 
called  himself  Killcat.  This  individual  was  married  to 
the  daughter  of  the  governor  of  the  fortress,  —  a  ser- 
geant of  Brazilian  regulars,  —  and  the  trio  turned  an 
honest  penny  by  supplying  ships  with  fresh  beef,  (steal- 
ing bullocks  for  the  same,)  and  spare  spars,  appre- 
hending runaway  sailors,  smuggling  merchandise,  keep- 
ing •  a  ten-pin  alley,  and  in  a  word,  making  themselves 
ubiquitously  useful. 

There  was  a  tradition  too,  floating  about,  relative  to 
Killcat,  to  the  effect  that  in  times  past  he  had  been 
skipper  of  a  whaler ;  that  she  had  turned  flukes  some- 
where, gone  down  to  the  bottom  —  of  his  pocket  —  and 
in  consequence,  the  unhappy  man  was  then  living  the 
27* 


318  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

life  of  a  recluse  in  that  out-of-the-way  part  of  Brazil. 
Some  stray  old  mariner,  also,  whose  testimony  was  quite 
unworthy  of  belief,  affirmed  that  he  had  a  wife  and  sev- 
eral starving  brats  in  the  Vineyard  Sound,  in  the  States, 
and  the  reason  why  Killcat  did  not  pay  them  a  visit, 
was,  that  among  the  rigid  puritans  of  those  regions, 
"  La  polygamie  est  un  cas  ^endable ;  "  and  fearful  lest 
they  would  treat  him  to  a  "  vegetable  breakfast  on  a 
hearty-choke  and  caper  sauce,"  he  very  prudently  kept 
snug,  out  of  theJT  reach. 

Notwithstanding  the  amiable  efforts  of  Killcat  to 
amuse  us,  it  was  dreadfully  stupid  work  there  at  the 
northern  anchorage.  We  were  afraid  to  trudge  much 
about  the  hills  on  account  of  a  plentiful  distribution  of 
venomous  insects  and  serpents,  the  cobra  di  capello  in 
particular,  and  so  we  passed  our  leisure  in  rolling  stone 
balls  at  the  ten-pins,  and  in  eating  shrimps,  whortle- 
berries and  milk,  on  the  domain  of  our  virtuous  coun- 
tryman. ^ 

The  Island  of  St.  Catharine's  itself  acts  as  a  gigantic 
breakwater,  running  for  many  leagues  parallel  with  the 
continent,  and  enclosing  several  large  and  commodious 
bays.  The  one  at  the  southern  end  is  Arazatiba,  a 
lovely  circular  sheet  of  water,  rimmed  by  a  lofty  amphi- 
theatre of  hills,  clothed  with  noble  groves  of  green 
timber ;  and  it  is  altogether  as  picturesque  a  prospect  of 
land  and  sea  as  one  may  care  to  behold.  Arazatiba  is 
indeed   the  last   point   of   smiling    fertility  which   the 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  319 

voyager  beholds  towards  the  southern  lunits  of  Brazil, 
and  almost  the  last  spot  of  seaboard  verdure  to  be  seen 
on  this  side  of  the  great  continent  all  the  way  to  Cape 
Horn.  The  coast  beyond  St.  Catharine's  gradually 
slopes  down  to  a  wild,  sterile,  uncultivated  region,  until 
it  melts  into  the  low  banks  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  and, 
still  farther  inland,  sweeping  on  to  the  nearly  intermi- 
nable pampas  of  the  interior. 

There  was  a  small  town  called  Nossa  Senhora  do 
Desterro,  built  within  the  curve  of  the  entrance  to  the 
Bay  of  Arazatiba,  which  was  as  hot,  romantic,  and  quiet 
a  spot  as  one  need  desire.  Here  we  had  a  generous, 
hospitable  consul,  whose  house  was  always  open  to  the 
officers  of  the  frigate  and  brig,  and  here,  too,  his  wife  had 
given  Antonietta  a  billet  during  the  sojourn  of  the  ships. 

By  some  plausible  pretext  I  usually  managed  to  pass 
most  of  my  time  there,  and  I  soon  had  the  satisfaction 
of  teaching  the  young  Creole  how  to  navigate  along  the 
shore  in  a  canoe,  under  the  guidance  of  my  dexterous 
paddle.  One  evening,  however,  I  chanced  to  spill  her 
out  into  the  water,  a  little  above  her  ankles,  whereby 
she  soiled  her  pretty  htile  satin  slippers,  and  could  not 
dance  at  the  tertulia,  so  that  she  proved  unappeasable 
for  a  whole  week,  and  made  me  horridly  jealous  by 
coquetting  with  Makeen,  who,  by  the  way,  was  not  a 
whit  uglier  than  I. 

But,  thank  Cupid  and  the  commodore,  the  Flirt  was 
ordered  off  to  the  River  Amazon  one  fine  day,  to  see 


320  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

how  the  revolution  was  going  on  at  Para  ;  and  then, 
having  no  further  pangs  from  Hazy  or  Makeen,  my 
pouting  sweetheart  returned  to  me  once  more,  and  I 
recovered  my  lost  spirits  in  a  trice. 

The  frigate  was  ready  to  leave  shortly  after  ;  and  when 
the  burly  Killcat  had  fingered  the  cash  for  his  righteous 
dues,  bettering  his  fortunes  considerably,  no  doubt,  in 
the  operation,  the  ship  was  unmoored,  and  with  the 
davits,  spars,  and  boats  teemiug  with  nets  of  oranges, 
yellow,  clustering  bunches  of  bananas,  green,  pulpy  al- 
ligator pears,  and  other  tropical  fruits,  she  turned  her 
heel  on  the  island. 

The  Colombine  had  been  a  long  time  on  the  station, 
and,  as  is  generally  the  case,  the  gun  deck  forward  was 
little  better  than  a  marine  menagerie.  In  this  living 
collection  of  natural  history  was  a  learned  pig,  who 
would  rear  on  his  hind  trotters  and  catch  bits  of  biscuit 
in  his  mouth ;  and  there  was  a  devilish  small  beast  the 
sailors  called  a  mongoose,  about  the  size  of  a  ferret,  and 
so  savage  that  no  one  dared  approach  him.  His  chief 
sagacity  was  exhibited  in  biting  people's  noses  ;  and  on 
a  certain  occasion,  when  an  indiscreet  reefer  had  caught 
the  brute  in  a  noose,  triced  him  up  to  a  hammock  hook 
by  the  tail,  and  severed  off  some  inches  of  that  indispen- 
sable appendage  with  a  cutlass,  the  moment  the  little 
animal  felt  himself  free  he  flew  up  and  snapped  off  a 
piece  of  the  offender's  proboscis. 

Parrots  and  monkeys,  however,  were  in  the  greatest 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  331 

abundance.  The  former  could  out-whistle  the  boat- 
swain and  out-swear  his  mates,  by  long  odds.  One  of 
them  —  a  handsome  gray  and  red  plumed  fellow  —  could 
preach  as  good  a  sermon  as  the  chaplain,  and  his  bene- 
diction was  the  most  impressive  thing  you  ever  heard. 

But  the  monkeys !  There  were  two  distinct  tribes  on 
board,  and  each  had  their  own  parts  of  the  ship  for 
exercise,  and  whenever  either  presumed  to  overstep 
those  defined  limits  there  ensued  a  battle  royal.  One 
family  was  the  long-tailed,  sharp-toothed  Brazilian  ape, 
and  the  other  the  reddish,  manly-looldng  fellows,  with 
their  stern  frames  polished  like  the  frigate's  copper  fun- 
nel. Each  tribe  had  a  leader,  and  rare  sport  they  made. 
The  first  lieutenant  ordered  them  all  thrown  overboard 
or  shot  at  least  twice  a  week  ;  but  as  they  were  great  pets 
of  the  sailors,  their  faults  and  pranks  were  in  the  end 
forgiven.  The  largest  of  the  African  species,  a  sedate, 
gentlemanly  monkey,  with  a  bushy  black  beard,  which 
he  paid  extreme  attention  to,  conceived  a  mortal  dislike 
for  the  commodore,  especially  when  he  was  shaving  or 
brushing  his  hair.  On  those  occasions  the  monkey 
would  fly  into  a  frantic  passion,  believing,  possibly,  that 
the  commodore  was  imitatinsr  his  own  motions  with  his 
paws.  One  pleasant  morning,  while  the  commodore  was 
busy  writing,  this  mischievous  brute,  whom  the  men 
politely  addressed  as  Sir  Charles  Grandison,  stole  into 
the  dressing  room,  where,  after  lathering  his  chops,  head, 
and  rump,  he  very  systematically  pitched  all  the  elegant 


322  TALES    FOll   THE    MARINES. 

pearl-handled  razors,  brushes,  soaps,  and  various  articles 
of  the  toilet,  out  of  the  port ;  then,  jumping  out  into 
the  main  cabin  upon  the  table,  he  capsized  the  ink,  tore 
up  the  papers,  and  slapping  the  aghast  commander-in- 
chief  in  the  face,  snatched  off  his  wig,  and  made  an 
exit,  with  a  satisfied  screech,  through  the  blinds  of  the 
gun  deck  cabin  doors.  Sir  Charles  never  drew  breath 
—  that  is,  if  a  monkey  ever  requires  to,  from  fatigue  — 
until  he  gained  the  main  truck,  where  he  hung  the 
peruke  on  the  spindle  of  the  lightning  conductor,  and 
remained  himself  aloft  in  the  daytime  for  a  long  period, 
seeming  to  be  conscious  of  the  enormity  of  his  crime, 
and  the  punishment  which  awaited  him  when  brought 
to  justice.  He  was,  however,  eventually  pardoned  ;  and 
the  mercy  shown  him  had  a  happy  effect,  for  ever  after- 
wards he  behaved  like  a  perfect  gentleman,  learned  to 
fight  duels  with  wooden  pistols  in  the  waist,  and 
brought  the  broadsword  exercise  to  a  high  pitch  of 
perfection. 

The  frigate  had  light  winds  after  sailing  from  St. 
Catharine's,  and  she  made  but  little  progress  on  her 
course  to  the  K-iver  Plate,  so  that  there  was  plenty  of 
leisure  to  pull  the  guns  in  and  out,  scrub  the  paint 
work,  holystone  the  decks,  and  what  not,  to  the  great 
joy  of  the  first  lieutenant. 

As  I  was  merely  a  passenger,  and  there  was  an  unoc- 
cupied cabin  in  the  gun  room,  I  had  leave  to  fill  it 
for  the  short  time  I  expected  to  remain  before  joining 


TALES    FOR   THE   MAHlNES.  323 

the  Juniata.  This  comfortable  berth,  you  may  depend 
upon  it,  pleased  me  exceedingly,  and  I  slept  without 
the  nightly  risk  of  having  my  clews  cut,  or  a  sponge 
filled  with  water  suspended  over  my  head,  or  the  learned 
pig  stowed  in  my  hammock  by  the  larkish  young  imps 
of  the  steerage. 

The  gun  room  mess  comprised  a  very  jolly  set  of  fel- 
lows for  the  most  part,  and  among  them  Joe  Montacute, 
who  was  at  the  time  acting  sailing  master  of  the  frigate. 
It  was  not  one  of  those  messes  w^iere  the  members  talked 
of  ropes,  sails,  evolutions  of  ships,  and  the  like  nautical 
jargon.  No  one  was  heard  to  ask  what  kind  of  a  voice 
such  and  such  a  first  lieutenant  had,  or  how  the  jib  hal- 
liards of  such  a  ship  were  rove,  or  whether  the  rigging 
and  backstays  set  up  on  their  own  ends  or  were  turned 
in  cutter-stay  fashion  ;  but  all  had  the  good,  companion- 
able sense  to  leave  those  Benbow  topics  to  their  proper 
occasions,  and  while  at  mess  to  allow  the  mind  to  dwell 
upon  more  wholesome  food. 

I  shall  certainly  never  forget  the  first  dinner  I  had  at 
that  mess.  There  had  been,  I  imagine,  some  little  dif- 
ferences existing  for  some  time  previous,  and  on  this 
occasion  the  caterer  talked  of  resigning,  and  it  was 
upon  a  new  election  that  the  scene  I  am  about  to  relate 
occurred. 

The  Colombine  had  great  beam,  and  the  open  space 
or  "  country  "  in  the  gun  room  was  laid  transversely 
with  a  large  table,  loaded  with  the  usual  appurtenances 


32-4  TALES    FOR    THE    MAllINES. 

of  dinner,  and  lighted  by  a  pair  of  globe  lamps  swing- 
ing from  the  beams  above.  At  the  first  peal  of  the 
bugle,  playing  the  air  for  dinner,  the  doors  of  the  little 
state  cabins,  on  either  side  of  the  "  rural  districts  "  of  the 
gun  room  were  thrown  open,  and  some  twenty  gentle- 
men appeared  and  stood  behind  their  chairs.  The  chap- 
lain gave  a  hearty  grace,  —  short  and  particularly  sweet, 
—  and  the  next  instant,  the  clatter  of  soup  plates  and 
spoons  resounded  far  and  near. 

At  one  end  of  the  table  sat  the  executive  officer  of 
the  ship,  Mr.  Rhamrods,  a  grim,  florid-faced  gentleman, 
with  light  hair  and  eyes,  and  a  not  unpleasing  expres- 
sion. He  was  a  taciturn,  pompous  person,  oftentimes 
mistaking  stiffness  of  demeanor  for  dignity,  and  though 
he  was  seldom  affable  or  sociable  with  his  messmates, 
and  sadly  deficient  in  tact,  yet  on  the  whole,  I  believe, 
he  was  a  worthy  officer,  and  with  a  more  genial  manner 
he  might  have  got  on  very  well. 

Beside  him  was  a  large,  portly  lieutenant,  solid  in 
mind  as  in  body,  who  had  a  natural  antipathy  to  those 
of  his  species  who  had  more  money  than  he  ;  withal, 
extremely  inquisitive,  but,  singular  enough,  he  never 
asked  a  question  without  being  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  subject  beforehand.  Notwithstanding  these 
peculiarities,  he  was  an  excellent  messmate  and  a  brave 
and  correct  officer.  Farther  on,  and  opposite,  were 
ranged  half  a  dozen  officers  of  the  same  grade  —  one  a 
thin-visaged  person,  with  a  head  scarcely  bigger  than  a 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  325 

walnut,  and  a  lanky  body  adorned  wltli  a  c[uantity  of 
flash  jewelry,  whose  cognomen  was  Brokenberry. 

Still  farther  down  the  table  was  a  good  old  major  of 
marines,  who  invariably  agreed  with  eveiy  one,  upon 
every  imaginable  topic.  Then  came  the  parson,  —  a 
regular  fire  eater,  —  and  three  surgeons,  the  younger  of 
whom  was  known  as  the  Ladders,  for  his  propensity  to 
run  up  and  down  those  stairways.  The  remainder  of 
the  mess  consisted  of  supernumeraries,  secretary,  purser, 
master,  a  consul,  and  the  caterer,  who,  in  virtue  of  his 
office,  sat  at  the  lower  end  of  the  table. 

Behind  the  chairs  were  posted  a  corps  of  waiters,  of 
all  colors,  sizes,  and  ages.  They  distributed  plates  as 
if  dealing  a  pack  of  cards,  and  were  rather  slow  in 
changing  them  ;  yet,  with  an  admirable  instinct,  they  bore 
off  the  wine  glasses  during  dinner  at  a  moment's  notice, 
more  especially  when  they  were  not  emptied  of  wine. 

"While  the  soup  was  serving,  very  little  conversation 
took  place,  there  being  only  a  few  low  growls  at  the 
servants,  and  the  cook,  and  at  the  idlers,  for  having 
played  backgammon  so  as  to  disturb  the  watch  officers. 
These  animadversions  caused  rather  snappish  rejoinders, 
and  the  caterer,  in  behalf  of  his  stewards,  declared  it  was 
the  most  unreasonable  mess  ever  known  —  that  the  soup 
was  the  purest  of  ox-tail,  and  esteemed  a  great  delicacy. 

"  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  one  of  the  lieutenants  named 
Noly,  who  set  himself  up  for  the  mess  wit;   "•  ever  since 
I   dined  with  the   governor  of  Ceylon,  vvhere  we  had 
28 


326  TALES    FOE,    THE    MARINES. 

mulllgatawney  soup,  wortli  a  guinea  a  spoonful,  I  can't 
endure  such  trash  as  this." 

Here  the  covers  were  removed,  and  while  the  meats 
were  carving,  the  fat  officer  threw  out  a  hint  to  be  in- 
formed where  the  ship  was,  and  if  there  were  any  hopes 
of  getting  in  if  the  wind  held. 

This  seemed  to  be  a  side  blow  at  the  master,  who  got 
up  his  bristles  at  once ;  but  before  he  could  reply,  the 
secretary,  a  bright,  black-eyed,  handsome  little  fellow, 
spoke  up  and  said,  — 

"  One  moment,  gentlemen,  with  your  permission. 
I  am  directed  by  the  commander-in-chief  to  read  to  you 
a  recent  order  from  the  navy  department,  relative  to 
whiskers."  And  so  he  went  on  with  the  regulation,  that 
"  the  hair  on  the  face  was  not  to  be  worn  lower  than  two 
inches  below  the  tip  of  the  ear,  in  a  line  with  the  mouth." 

When  Larry,  the  secretary,  had  concluded  the  docu- 
ment, and  the  knives  had  been  resumed,  Brokenberry, 
who  sported  a  prodigious  mass  of  hair  under  his  chin, 
which  made  him  appear  like  a  rat  peeping  out  of  a 
bunch  of  oakum,  broke  out  with,  — 

"  Well,  I'll  be  switched  if  the  secretary  of  the  navy, 
who  gave  that  order,  isn't  an " 

"A  —  a  —  gentlemen,"  interrupted  Mr.  Rhamrods  ; 
^*a  —  really,  can't  —  a  —  listen  to  any  language  disre- 
spectful to  the  —  a " 

"  Hair  on  our  faces,"  said  Noly,  ironically ;  ''  and  per- 
haps you  wouldn't  be  glad  to  raise  a  pair  like  this  your- 
self," stroking  his  whiskers  complacently. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  327 

'^  Fellows,  I  trust  the  game  isn't  entirely  blocked  for 
cool,  dispassionate  argument  upon  this  question,"  be- 
gan Nickles,  the  fleet  surgeon. 

"  Cut  off  your  whiskers  first,  though,"  gibed  in  the 
chaplairu 

"  Then  -we  can't  drink  brandy  and  gin. 
And  we'll  all  shave  under  the  chin." 

chanted  Noly,  as  if  he  was  setting  up  the  back  stay  falls. 
>  "  No,  by  thunder,"  continued  Nickles,  "  not  till  I 
have  clearly  shown  this  intelligent  mess  —  that  is,  if 
the  caterer  will  hold  back  dinner  a  minute  or  two  — 
that  the  measure  promulgated  is  diametrically  opposed 
to  health,  honor,  and  religion." 

'*  Proceed,"  solemnly  observed  the  purser. 

"  Well,  then,  my  friends,  my  professional  opinion  is, 
the  beard  acts  as  respiratory  organs  to  assist  the  lungs, 
and  was  therefore  intended  by  Providence  to  subserve 
a  good  purpose.  For  example  your  cavalry  men,  who 
wear  the  beard  as  nature  intended,  are  not  afflicted 
like  the  foot  soldiers,  who  are  all  more  or  less  troubled 
with  cutaneous  disorders  about  their  muzzles,  resulting 
from  the  incessant  scraping,  lathering,  and  exposure  in 
the  line  of  their  duty.  On  the  other  hand,  behold  your 
lusty  sailor,  when  he  jumps  out  of  a  hot  hammock  on  a 
^teaming  lower  deck,  to  reef  topsails  in  the  frosty  upper 
regions:  if  he  has  a  beard  around  the  throat,  it  absorbs 
by  a  natural  process  the  perspiration,  protects  the  honest 
tar  of 'all  weathers  from  bronchitis,  cynanchc  trachealis. 


328  TALES    FOR    THE    MAHINES. 

and  other  painful  disorders.  Bat  the  reverse  is  the  case 
when  your  martinet  captains  curtail  Jack  of  his  hairy 
proportions.  Then,  again,  Poll  delights  in  her  Jack's 
whiskers  ;  and  in  fact  the  softer  sex  generally  do  not  ob- 
ject to  those  hirsute  appendages. 

"Why,  my  friends,"  said  Nickles,  getting  warm  in 
his  lecture,  dropping  his  knife  and  holding  a  pickle  up 
in  the  air  on  his  fork,  "  why,  a  glossy  beard  is  a  mark 
of  good  living  —  quite  a  sign  held  out,  such  as  one  sees 
over  a  French  auberge,  ^  Ici  on  mange  hien.^  The  con- 
templative Turks  will  tell  a  man's  feeding  by  a  glance 
at  his  beard ;  and  they  consider  it  more  disgraceful  to  be 
deprived  of  that  manly  ornament,  than  to  be  publicly 
bastinadoed.  All  good  Mussulmans  swear  by  their 
beards.  The  Tartars  waged  a  bloody  war,  as  a  religious 
principle,  on  the  Persians,  because  they  declined  to  cut 
their  beards  d  la  Tariare.  Homer  wrote  sublime  poetry 
on  the  beards  of  Nestor  and  old  Priam.  The  ancient 
rulers  of  France  sealed  letters  with  hairs  from  their 
whiskers.  Many  famous  generals  were  even  named  after 
their  beards,  and  martyrs  have  had  theirs  respected  on  the 
scaffold  from  the  sacrilegious  axe.  The  beard  ukase  of 
the  Czar  Peter  almost  overthrew  his  empire,  and  nearly 
caused  a  massacre  equal  to  that  of  St.  Bartholomew. 
The  Spaniards  say,  '  Desde  que  no  hay  barha,  no  hay  mas 
alma/  —  Since  we  have  lost  our  beards,  adieu  to  our  souls. 
And  the  grave  Portuguese,  too,  regard  the  beard  as  one 
of  the  most  precious  rights  of  man.     As  an  instance,  in 


TALES    FOE,    THE    MAIlI^-ES.  329 

the  reign  of  Queen  Catharine,  the  gallant  John  de  Cas- 
tro, having  taken  a  castle  in  India,  found  himself  in  the 
awkward  predicament  of  the  man  who  had  drawn  an 
elephant  in  a  raffle  —  with  no  means  to  support  the 
acquisition.  So  Don  John  called  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  Goa  for  a  thousand  pistoles  to  maintain  his  fleet,  and 
as  a  security  for  that  sum  he  sent  one  of  his  whiskers, 
telling  them,  '  All  the  gold  in  the  world  cannot  equal 
the  value  of  this  natural  ornament  of  my  valor ;  and  I 
deposit  it  in  your  hands  as  a  bond  for  the  money.'  "What 
generosity  !  what  heroism,  my  messmates  !  And  can  you 
doubt  that  the  brave  knight  was  rewarded  by  twice  the 
treasure  he  asked  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Goa,"  ob- 
served Brokenberry  ;  "I'm  rather  hard  up  just  at  this 
crisis,  and  flatter  myself  that  I  could  supply  that  market 
with  as  fine  a  pair  of  whiskers  as  Mr.  Castro." 

Without  noticing  this  interruption,  the  doctor  went 
on.  "  Ay,  all  the  great  marshals,  poets,  and  painters 
of  France  took  infinite  pride  in  their  beards ;  and  it  was 
not  uncommon  for  a  favorite  lover  to  have  his  whiskers 
trimmed,  combed,  curled,  waxed,  and  perfumed  by  the 
high-born  dames  of  the  court.  Even  Moses,  in  holy 
writ,  forbade  the  Hebrews  to  cut  off  their  beards  en- 
tirely ;  and  the  Marquesan  Islanders  preserve  each  hair 
of  their  ancestors'  beards  with  the  mo^t  scrupulous  ven- 
eration. Good  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  himself  offered  to 
lead  the  fashion,  at  a  month's  notice,  with  a  pair  of 
28* 


330  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

whiskers,  so  as  to  restore  faces  to  their  ancient  dignity ; 
and  Hudibras,  too,  — 

♦  His  ta-wiiy  beard  was  th'  equal  grace 
Both  of  his  wsdom  and  his  face.' 

Again,  among  the  celestial  bodies,  comets  themselves 
have  beards." 

"  So  have  oysters,"  added  Noly  ;  "  but  they  have  no 
more  right  to  them  than  elephants  to  have  their  names 
inscribed  with  brass  nails  on  their  trunks." 

"  Silence  !  "  growled  somebody. 

**  And  why,"  continued  Nickles,  "  should  we  not 
respect  also  the  professors  of  the  tonsorial  department  ? 
It  is  a  noble  avocation.  Blessings  on  the  Romans,  who, 
in  the  days  of  Pliny,  imported  a  troop  of  barbers  into 
Italy  from  Sicily.  Regard  their  descendants  !  See  the 
benefits  they  have  shed  upon  mankind !  Look  back  to 
the  time  of  Cervantes,  when  the  barbers'  shops  were 
the  resorts  of  the  great  politicians,  statesmen,  and  wits 
of  the  age.  And  in  later  times,  remember  that  the 
king  of  comedy,  Moliere,  was  said  to  have  derived 
many  of  his  unrivalled  characters  from  the  studies  pre- 
sented to  him  in  a  barber's  shop ;  ay,  and  the  elbow 
'chair  is  still  shown  at  Pezenas  where  he  silently  sat 
watching  the  grimaces  and  gestures  of  his  favorite 
models.  Think,  too,  that  the  learned  Jeremy  Taylor's 
father  was  a  barber,  and  that  in  the  present  day.  Jasmin, 
the  peasant  poet  of  fair  Provence  and  Languedoc,  the 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAHINES.  331 

'  last  of  the  troubadours/  is  but  a  simple  barber.  And 
although,  my  marine  friends,  it  is  not  every  barber  who 
can  aspire  to  the  fame  of  a  Smallpeace,  Higgins,  or 
Williams,  yet  we  must  look  kindly  on,  and  cherish 
those  less  favored  by  fortune  or  talents. 

"  Yet,  after  all  the  benefits  which  I  trust  I  have  thus 
unfolded  to  your  view,  as  well  for  the  toleration  of 
beards  as  for  barbers,  we  have  just  received  orders,  my 
indignant  messmates,  as  severe  as  the  decrees  of  Draco, 
to  slaughter  our  innocent  hirsute  decorations,  merely  to 
gratify  the  absurd  taste,  or  vanity,  or  jealousy  of  people 
who  can  no  more  raise  a  crop  of  good  wholesome  hair 
on  their  faces  than  a  poor  scrub  of  a  Chinaman. 

"  Therefore,  gentlemen,"  cried  the  impassioned 
Nickles,  as  he  thrust  the  pickle  into  his  mouth,  and 
stuck  the  fork  into  the  mahogany,  "  this  system  of  per- 
secution must  be  put  down ;  and  I  propose  to " 

"  Cut  off  our  whiskers  two  inches  below  the  ear,  in 
a  line  with  the  mouth,"  suddenly  broke  in  Monta- 
cute ;  whereupon  all  the  mess  shouted  with  one  voice, 
"  Agreed ;  "  and  the  doctor,  recovering  his  senses, 
glanced  round  the  table,  and  finding  the  dinner  going 
"  carnis  universce  via,"  he  quickly  changed  his  tune, 
and  exclaimed,  — 

"  Major,  what's  that  before  you  ?  It  doesn't  look  very 
tempting." 

"  Xo,  sir  ;  French  dish,  sir  ;  could  not  recommend  it ; 
never  touch  these  kickshaws,  sir." 


333  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

At  the  same  instant  some  person  a  long  vray  ofF  said, 
''Major,  I'll  trouble  you  again;  it's  the  best  dish  on 
the  table." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  replied  the  complaisant  soldier;  "ex- 
cellent fricassee,  Monty;  always  find  the  French  cook- 
ery delightful,  because  their  sauces  ai'c  drawn  from  the 
juices  of  the  viands  themselves." 

"I  appeal  to  the  ghosts  of  all  the  cordon-hhus  who 
ever  took  their  diplomas  in  Paris  or  St.  Petersburg,  if 
this  sauce  piquante  isn't  sour  enough  to  make  a  pig 
squeal." 

"  Yes,  doctor,  it  is  rather  sharp,  and  I  always  give  a 
preference  to  sweet  sauces.  You'll  find  it  the  most  in- 
digestible thing  on  the  table." 

"  Glass  of  wine  with  you,  Montacute,"  said  Noly. 

"  Let  me  join  you,"  coaxingly  observed  Brokenberry. 

"  O,  no,  you  won't ;  I'm  not  to  be  done  out  of  my 
tipple  in  that  style.     One  at  a  time,  if  you  please." 

"  What'll  you  drink  ?  "  said  Monty  ;  "  some  light 
Wine  : 

"Yes,"  said  Noly;  "port;  the  old  crusty  at  one 
and  six  ;  horrible  stuff  for  a  respectable  landlord  to  fur- 
nish his  boarders  with." 

Here  the  caterer  again  piped  up  at  what  he  termed 
the  "  infernal  growling,"  and  hinted  that  nobody  knew 
what  good  w^ine  was,  and  that,  on  his  conscience,  he 
didn't  believe  some  of  the  mess  knew  a  good  feed  when 
placed  before  them. 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  333 

*'  No  !  "  screamed  half  a  dozen  disaffected  persons ; 
"  then  perhaps  you'll  serve  up  the  myth  of  one  for  us ; 
make  a  trial ;  there's  a  good  fellow  —  do." 

"  Well,  then,  gentlemen,"  said  the  caterer,  sardoni- 
cally, "  to  begin,  I'd  give  you  oysters  with  lemon  juice, 
—  Julienne  soup — "  here  he  hesitated  —  "then  j)oulet 
a  la  Marengo " 


"O  Lord!"  burst  out  Nickles,  who  prided  himself 
on  his  knowledge  of  gourmandise ;  "  chickens  before 
fish !  and  then  I  suppose  we  are  to  have  ^  islands  of 
moonshine  in  syllabub  lakes  ! '  Come,  that  will  do  for 
to-day ;  send  for  a  hard,  flinty  biscuit,  and  break  that 
individual's  head." 

"  O,  you  needn't  take  that  trouble,"  cried  the  testy 
caterer ;  "  I've  intended  for  a  long  time  to  throw  up  the 
confounded  office,  and  now  you  may  please  to  accept  my 
resignation,  or  leave  it  alone,  as  you  prefer." 

"  Hillo  !  you  don't  mean  to  make  us  unhappy," 
shouted  Montacute ;  "  however,  we  must  scare  up 
another  caterer,  or  starve." 

Sam  Jackstones,  one  of  the  medicos,  was  proposed 
for  the  vacancy;  but  he  declined  the  compliment,  be- 
cause he  said  he  was  loose  in  accounts ;  at  the  same 
time  his  principles  were  for  unbounded  extravagance, 
if  the  majority  sanctioned  it. 

"  I'm  blessed,  gentlemen,  if  any  majority  picks  my 
pocket,"  nervously  ejaculated  the  major ;  "I  am  for 
genteel  economy." 


334  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

"  Any  way,  messmates,  make  that  fruit  basket  a  bal- 
lot box,  and  pass  it  round  to  tlie  marine  republicans,  to 
vote." 

The  oranges  were  rolled  out,  and  a  small  blue-eyed 
Swede,  who  went  by  the  name  of  Baron  Stockholm, 
passed  the  basket  about  the  table  ;  the  members  wrote 
their  suffrages  on  slips  of  paper,  and  threw  them  in. 
These  were  counted  by  Larry  ;  a  tie  was  declared,  and 
a  new  election  called.  Hereupon  there  wms  considerable 
hubbub,  attended  by  symptoms  of  a  renewed  discussion, 
when  Mr.  Rhamrods  rose. 

Placing  his  arms  akimbo  on  his  hips,  like  a  pair  of 
boomerangs,  he  began  with,  "  A  —  gentlemen  !  a  — 
there    appears  to  have  existed,  of  lute,  some   little  —  a 

—  differences  of  opinion  upon  mess  matters;  but  —  a  — 
I  attribute  it  more  to  the  unnatural  state  of  existence  — 

a  —  we   lead  on   shipboard   than   any  other  cause  ;  but    '. 

—  a  —  if  you  will  allow  me  to  suggest,  —  a  —  since  the 
office  of  caterer  is   at  this  moment  in   commission,  that 

—  a  —  the  steward  be  empowered  to  produce  the  best    j 

—  a  —  tipple  the  wine  stores  afford, — a  —  a  —  then  I 
would  add  a  hope  that  harmony  —  a  —  in  future  may  be 
our  watchword."  | 

"  Agreed  !  willingly  !  by  all  means  !  "  said  every  one, 
at  the  termination  of  this  good-tempered  address,  and  the 
lost  humor  of  the  mess  was  at  once  restored.  The  ex- 
asperated caterer  was  pacified,  and  again  persuaded  to 
resume  the   keys   of  office ;    and  while    the    decanters 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  335 

reflected  their  pale,  ruby  hues  around,  no  one  would 
have  believed  that  that  assembly  was  aught  else  than  a 
band  of  brothers,  afloat  upon  the  high  seas. 

"  Can't  some  garrulous  person  say  something  interest- 
ing," said  the  fat  lieutenant,  after  there  had  been  a 
few  moments'  quiet. 

"  O,  yes,"  replied  Xoly  ;  « I'll  name  the  man.  Now, 
then,  every  body  drink  and  nobody  talk,  and  let's  hear 
that  yarn  the  purser  wanted  to  twist  yesterday." 

"  What  yarn  ?  "  said  the  surprised  commissary,  who 
had  scarcely  opened  his  lips  during  dinner,  and  was 
busy  cracking  Brazil  nuts,  and  carefully  paring  the  cuti- 
cles from  the  triangular  kernels. 

''  Why,  that  embassy  to  which  you  were  attache,  in 
the  East  Indies,  on  board  the  Splinter  ;  let's  hear  it, 
fellows,  for  the  purser  don't  get  a  chance  to  talk  often  ; 
and  so  keep  perfect  silence." 

Just  at  this  moment,  the  surgeon's  steward  hastened 
into  the  gun  room,  and  reported  to  Nickles  that  a  marine 
had  been  taken  with  fits. 

"  Hit  him  on  the  head  with  a  top  maul,"  said  the 
fleet,  decidedly,  as  he  winked  over  his  wine  glass  at 
his  own  make-believe  inhumanity,  and  desired  his  subs 
to  "fix  the  sojer  ofl"." 

Hereupon  a  slight  altercation  ensued  between  the 
junior  doctors,  which  was  not  quelled  until  Broken- 
berry  rapped  the  table  with  the  nut  crackers,  and  in  a 


336  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

voice  as  if  from  the  gallery  of  a  theatre,  declared  there 
was  a  "nigger  in  the  pit." 

Thereupon  Ladders  was  persuaded  to  leave  his  des- 
sert for  a  time,  and  betake  himself  on  an  errand  of 
mercy  and  medicine,  to  the  sick  bay. 

Fred,     said    the    Lieutenant,    as    he    clapped    both 

hands  on  his  knees,  and  screwed  up  his  lips,  as  if  he 

had  a  bad  taste  in    his  mouth  —  Fred,  there's   been  a 

great  amelioration  in  medical  practice  these  last  twenty 

years.     I  remember  when  they  always  dosed  the  reefers 

with  horse   salts,   scraped   out  of  a  barrel ;    and  if  we 

stood  in  need   of  any   purifying   compounds,  we  were 

treated  to  sarsaparilla   roots,  boiled  down  with  treacle 

sirup,  in   iron  pots  ;  while  the  lieutenants  quaffed  the 

purest  crystallized  Epsom,  and  were  soothed  with  the 

expressed  fluid  extract  of  Swaim's  Panacea.     You  see 

what  a  difference  rank  makes,  my  boy,  in  these  medicinal 

phases  of  luxury ;    and    I'd    advise    you   to   get  to  be 

a   lieutenant    as    soon    as    ever    your    constitution   will 

bear  it.     I  could  wish,  too,  that  the  old  Spanish  ordi 

nances    might    be   revived  which   decreed   that  doctors 

should  not  be  paid  except  when  they  had  cured  their 

patients,  and  that  all    medical  attendants   should   head 

the  funeral  processions  of  those  who  died  in  their  hands. 

We  might  even  adopt  the  laws  now  in  vogue  among 

the  Chinese,  who  only  fee  the  physicians  while  in  good 

condition,  and  severely  bamboo  them  on  the  soles  of  their 

feet  when  an  unfortunate  slips  through  their  fingers. 


TALES    FOE,    THE    MARINES.  337 

"  Come,  Mr.  Harry,  go  on  with  your  yarn ;  don't  be 
tedious,  for  it's  getting  late,"  quietly  remarked  the 
gentle  matron.  As  the  Lieutenant  was  conscious  of 
being  the  best  hen-pecked  husband  in  his  part  of  the 
town,  he  resumed  his  narrative  without  a  murmur. 

When  order  once  more  reigned  along  the  board,  after 
a  few  shakings  of  the  head,  and  a  little  affected  side 
play,  the  purser  began  as  follows  :  — 

'^  You  bright  chaps  never  heard,  perhaps,  that  old 
Jack  Percy,  the  present  captain  of  the  Juniata,  some 
few  years  ago,  while  in  the  China  Seas,  in  command 
of  the  Ironsides,"  —  the  purser  gave  it  the  Greek  em- 
phasis of  I-ro?i-si-des,  —  "learned  that  a  fleet  of  four- 
masted  junks  had  committed  numerous  audacious  pira- 
cies on  American  and  English  traders.  These  events 
happened  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Straits  of  Malacca  and 
Gaspar  ;  and  Percy  ■'^ery  naturally  concluded  that  the 
perpetrators  belonged  to  the  Gulf  of  Siam.  In  fact, 
there  was  no  doubt  on  this  point,  for  the  I-ro7i-si-des  ac- 
tually chased  a  squadron  of  these  junks  to  the  head  of 
the  gulf,  into  the  port  of  Bankok,  which  was  a  place  of 
some  note  in  those  parts.  There  the  pirates,  moored 
in  line,  pointed  their  guns  through  the  little  portholes, 
believing  that  the  smaller  the  aperture  the  less  chance 
for  a  shot  to  get  in,  —  and  there  they  lay,  perfectly  well 
pleased  with  themselves. 

"  Now,  Mad   Jack,  being,  as   you  know,  a  prompt 
officer  ;  that  is  to  say,  — 
29 


338  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

*  Short  were  his  orders,  and  his  signals  few, 
Not  scientific  over  much,  or  new  ; 
As  having  reference  to  little  more 
Than  just  to  take,  or  sink,  or  run  ashore, 
Burn,  or  blow  up,  or  other^^•ise  annoy. 
Those  Avhom  he  deemed  his  duty  to  destroy.' 

So  he  let  the  pirates  have  three  broadsides  of  grape, 
and  a  few  thirty-two  pound  shot,  as  fast  as  ever  they 
could  be  poured  in  ;  and  you  may  safely  take  your  oath, 
that  the  mat  sails  of  the  junks,  the  brightly-painted 
eyes  in  the  prows,  and  the  hulls  were  torn  and  smashed 
into  pieces  before  the  smoke  from  the  guns  had  cleared 
away.  During  this  little  ball  practice,  some  stray  shot 
ricocheted  over  the  water  upon  the  beach,  and  so  on 
into  the  town,  where  they  played  the  very  mischief 
with  about  forty  Siamese,  leaving  them,  it  was  said, 
only  a  pound  of  brains,  half  a  leg,  a  couple  of  tails, 
and  an  arm,  among  each  half  dozen  of  the  wounded. 

"  Although  the  fellows  killed  and  maimed  on  shore 
were  not  actually  under  arms,  or  in  a  hostile  attitude, 
it  was  generally  known  that  they  were,  nevertheless, 
quite  as  great  villains  and  pirates  as  those  on  board  the 
war  junks,  and  consequently  had  been  properly  pun- 
ished. A  little  disturbance  of  that  nature  produced  a 
very  happy  effect ;  and,  for  a  long  time  subsequently, 
merchant  vessels  pursued  their  voyages  without  molesta- 
tion. The  affair,  indeed,  had  been  almost  forgotten, 
when  all  at  once  there  sprang  up  a  gentleman,  who 
called  himself  a  native  American,  in  virtue  of  having 


TALES    FOll    THE    MA11INE3.  339 

lived  thirty  years  or  more  in  China^  and  took  it  into  his 
head,  on  the  score  of  philanthropy,  I  believe,  to  investi- 
gate the  business. 

"  After  an  infinite  deal  of  trouble  and  time  spent  in 
collecting  the  foots,  he  returned  to  the  United  States  to 
preach  a  crusade  against  what  he  was  .pleased  to  desig- 
nate the  ^atrocious  massacre  of  the  innocent  Siamese.' 

"  Well,  old  Jack  being  at  home  in  the  bosom  of  his  fam- 
ily, and  leading  a  quiet  sort  of  life,  away  from  the  decks 
and  guns  of  a  ship,  was  absolutely  unconscious  that  the 
crusader,  whose  name  was  Blister,  was  poking  about 
among  the  big  bugs,  and  that  he.  Jack,  came  within 
deuce  ace  of  being  turned  neck  and  heels  out  of  the  navy. 

"  Fortunately,  however,  for  Percy,  a  friend  who  hap- 
pened to  be  on  good  terms  with  a  trump  card  of  the  po- 
litical pack,  put  in  a  word,  and  his  commission  was 
saved.  But  a  compromise  was  declared  in  fovor  of 
Mr.  Blister,  —  who  was,  we  all  knew,  quite  disinterested 
in  the  matter, — and  he  was  appointed  to  visit  Siam  in 
the  capacitv  of  special  commissioner,  and  charged  with 
an  ample  apology  from  the  president  of  the  American 
realms,  so  as  to  restore  our  international  relations  to  the 
same  friendly  footing  which  had  formerly  prevailed  with 
those  rascally  pirates. 

''  It  was  not  mere  peripatetic  philanthropy  which  actu- 
ated the  commissioner  while  trotting  about  the  wo]ld, 
or  simply  a  desire  to  atone  for  the  ciimes  of  his  coun- 
trymen )  but  he  had  likewise  a  morbid  inclination  for 


340  TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

extending  the  area  of  freedom  by  a  private  powwow  with 
the  Emperor  of  China,  and  thus,  as  he  expressed  it, 
•^  open  up  the  commerce  of  the  East  for  the  American 
eagle  and  the  British  lion.' 

*' Heaven  preserve  you,  gentlemen  —  there  was  nevei 
any  thing  known  so  grand  as  this  embassy  since  the 
days  of  Lord  Macartney  or  Amherst.  I  had  orders,  in 
my  official  capacity,  to  buy  all  the  old  patent  contraptions 
ever  invented  or  discovered  to  be  worthless  in  the  States 
—  pistols,  pen  makers,  daguerreotype  and  sewing  ma- 
chines, pianos,  pills,  champagne  imported  from  Newark, 
New  Jersey,  caoutchouc,  carbines,  preserved  meats,  steam 
engines  on  a  small  scale,  and  lots  of  other  things,  all 
^put  down  in  the  bills,'  and  intended  for  presents  to 
assist  in  '  opening  up '  the  commerce  of  Cocliin  China 
and  the  adjacent  kingdoms. 

*'  The  Splinter  took  all  this  trash  on  board,  and  we 
sailed  for  Canton,  whither  the  commissioner  had  preced- 
ed us,  and  where,  in  due  time,  he  was  received  by  the 
frigate  with  great  banging  of  artillery  and  considerable 
smoke.  Leaving  Canton  River,  we  sailed  straight  for 
the  port  of  Hue,  the  capital,  I  believe,  of  Cochin  China. 
There  was  not  sufficient  water  for  the  ship  to  get  near  the 
town  ;  so,  after  some  delay,  and  after  a  few  boxes  of  pills, 
which  had  been  made  up  expressly  for  the  embassy,  to- 
gether with  a  few^  baskets  of  the  famous  Jersey  cham- 
pagne, had  been  given  to  the  one  feather  mandarin  in 
command,  we  were  advised  to  proceed  on  to  Saigoon. 


TALES    rOR    THE    MARINES.  341 

"For  some  private  reasons  best  known  to  the  natives 
of  this  place,  we  were  actually  warned  off  the  premises ; 
not,  however,  until  after  a  plentiful  quantity  of  the  pat- 
ent pills  and  wine  had  been,  as  before,  presented  to  a 
two  feather  mandarin. 

*^  Finding  that  nothing  of  consequence  was  to  be  made 
at  Saigoon,  and  that  the  ship's  provisions  were  getting 
low,  we  tripped  anchor  in  self-defence,  to  *  open  up '  the 
commerce  elsewhere. 

*^  Well,  we  sailed,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  the  pi- 
lots, who  declared  that  it  was  coming  on  to  blow  '  sky 
pidgeon '  to  Mnakee  sickee  maintopsail.'  In  the  first 
instance  we  got  foul  of  a  fleet  of  lorchcrs,  or  freight 
boats  ;  and  then  had  no  sooner  cleared  the  land  than  we 
caught  a  spurt  of  a  gale,  —  the  tip  end  of  a  typhoon,  — 
which  nearly  blew  the  buttons  off  our  coats,  split  the 
canvas,  stove  the  boats,  and  never  left  us  a  moment's 
peace  or  comfort  until  we  got  into  the  Gulf  of  Siam, 
and  cast  anchor  in  the  port  of  Bankok,  the  identical  spot 
where  Jack  Percy  slew  the  pirates. 

"  We  were  speedily  consoled,  however,  by  being  as- 
sured by  the  commissioner  that  all  difficulties  were  now 
drawin""  to  a  close  :  he  would  at  once  demand  an  audi- 
ence,  deliver  his  credentials,  go  in  state  to  the  residence 
of  the  emperor,  and  in  the  end  ^open  the  commerce 
sharp  up.' 

"  Bueno  !    For  a  day  or  two,  while  preparations  for  an 

interview  with  the  mandarins  were  going  on,  we  had 
on  * 


342  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

leisure  to  wantlcr  about  the  town,  Avhcre  the  houses  weic 
all  built  on  bamboo  stilts,  with  the  space  beneath  latticed 
for  fowls  and  live  stock,  and  where  the  general  aspect 
of  the  country  was  marshy  and  filthy. 

"  At  last  an  order  was  passed  to  the  officers  of  the 
frigate  for  all  who  could  be  spared  from  duty  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  to  attend  the  special  commissioner,  the  Hon- 
orable Mr.  Blister,  at  his  presentation  on  shore.  It 
was  an  awful  struggle  in  that  hot  climate  to  haul  on 
a  full  dress  coat,  loaded  with  bullion  and  lace,  and  to 
ship  a  cocked  hat  that  made  a  man  fiirly  squint  with 
its  sharpness.  But  there  was  no  help  for  us,  and  just  at 
high  noon  we  got  into  the  boats,  and,  accompanied  by  a 
numerous  fleet  of  snmpajis,  struck  out  for  the  shore. 

**  On  landing  we  were  received  by  a  guard  of  about 
twenty  soldiers,  with  matchlocks,  blue  cotton  pea-jack- 
ets, and  cylindrical  black  hats,  full  four  feet  high.  A 
very  fierce-looking  guard  it  was.  There  were  sedan 
chairs  on  the  beach  also  ;  but  as  there  were  only  enough 
for  the  commissioner,  the  captain,  and  his  staff,  why,  the 
rest  of  us  snobs  had  to  plunge  in  their  wake  through 
tlic  mud. 

"  Luckily,  we  had  not  a  great  distance  to  walk  ;  and, 
upon  gaining  the  principal  open  space  of  the  town,  we 
were  ushered  up  a  broad  piazza,  spread  with  mats  of 
different  colors  overhead  for  an  awning,  where  we  were 
posted  until  the  Siamese  dignitaries  should  arrive,  and 
enter  the  audience  chamber. 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  343 

"  There  was  a  prettT  dense  crowd  in  the  square  in  front 
of  lis,  and  anv  one  acquainted  with  the  Siamese  idiom 
must  have  been  highly  delighted  at  the  remarks  volun- 
teered to  the  fan-qui'los,  or  he  foreign  devils. 

"  Prcsentlv,  however,  there  was  a  shrill  shout,  accom- 
panied bv  the  rattling  of  drums  ;  and  from  a  lane  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  square,  appeared  a  troop  of  soldiers, 
habited  all  the  same  as  our  body  guard,  only  their  fun- 
nel-shaped hats  were  half  a  yard  higher.  These  were 
followed  by  a  gang  of  drummers,  with  little  graduated 
drums  of  wood,  of  diifcrcnt  sizes,  so  as  to  preserve  a 
scale  of  sound  when  all  beat  in  time.  Then  came  a 
band  of  fellows,  like  masqueraders,  bedizened  in  the 
queerest  fashion,  and  bearing  silvor-gilt  wooden  swords, 
at  least  ten  feet  long,  which  they  flourished,  as  they  ca- 
pered along,  with  expressive  fury.  In  the  rear  of  these 
iiierrv-andrews  were  two  led  horses,  richly  caparisoned, 
and  at  their  heels  a  line  ot  palanquins  ;  the  headmost 
with  eisxht  bearers,  denoting  a  mandarin  of  high  caste, 
while  the  whole  procession  was  closed  by  more  soldiers 
:ind  the  rabble. 

*'  Thev  all  marched  slowly  up  and  down  before  the  pi- 
azza where  we  stood,  the  masquers  threw  somersaults, 
and  then  the  mandarins  were  assisted  very  tenderly  out 
of  their  gayly-painted  and  gilded  palanquins  ;  and  as  they 
marched  sedately  up  one  flight  of  steps,  we  moved  up 
another,  and  entered  the  hall  of  reception. 

*«  It  was  a  pretty  large  apartment ;  but  since  the  Siam 


344  TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

ese  consider  it  rather  derogatory  to  their  dignity  to  sit 
in  the  same  room  with  barbarians,  we  wcie  phiced  in  a 
large  alcove  adjoining,  but  in  full  view  of  the  natives, 
who  were  seated  in  double  semicircular  rows  before  us, 
the  chief  mandarin  being  a  little  in  advance  of  his  ad- 
visers. This  individual,  by  the  way,  was  a  person  of 
great  distinction,  for  he  had  a  large  gold  button  on  top 
of  his  skullcap,  and  three  peacock's  feathers  bending  and 
waving  over  his  face,  showing  at  a  glance  that  he  was 
some  distant  connection  of  the  sun  and  moon,  or  at  least 
related  to  the  asteroids.  His  companions,  though  indi- 
viduals of  high  caste,  were  not  of  equal  rank,  and  there 
was  nothing  very  remarkable  about  them,  except  that 
they  wore  very  long  tails,  blue  silk  overcoats,  thick- 
soled  shoes,  and  had  their  eyes  very  much  turned  up  at 
the  corners. 

"  I  must  not  omit  to  mention  that  the  presents  for  the 
emperor  had  all  preceded  us  to  the  town,  and  were 
ranged  along  the  walls  of  the  audience  chamber  in  great 
profusion.  There  they  were  —  pistols,  pens,  pills,  In- 
dia rubber  shoes,  tents  and  blankets,  daguerreotypes, 
et  cetera.  There  was,  in  addition  to  these  presents,  a 
model  locomotive,  which  Mr.  Blister  had  intended  to 
start  whizzing,  under  actual  steam,  before  the  very  eyes 
of  the  emperor  himself ;  but,  by  some  unforeseen  acci- 
dent, the  boiler  had  not  been  included  in  the  box,  and 
as  the  ship's  armorer  could  not  make  one,  the  machine 
was  exhibited  without,  and  no  doubt  succeeded  quite  as 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  345 

well  in  astonishing  the  natives  as  if  it  had  been  going 
under  a  full  head  of  vapor,  at  the  rate  of  sixty  miles 
the  hour. 

"  We  had  also  an  interpreter,  "who  was  brought  all  the 
way  from  Canton.  He  was  a  very  clever  person,  and 
with  a  stock  of  about  five  hundred  English  words,  could 
impart  the  most  intricate  narrative,  after  his  way,  upon 
any  subject,  moral,  practical,  or  metaphysical,  and  quite 
intelligibly  too. 

"  When  all  the  arrangements  had  been  effected,  the 
Chinese  squatted  on  the  mosaic  floors,  and  intense  si- 
lence prevailed.  At  a  sign  from  the  gold  button  digni- 
tary, we  all  nodded  like  tipsy  pendulums.  Our  ambas- 
sador then  stepped  forth,  and,  through  the  interpreter, 
observed  that  he  experienced  great  happiness  in  making 
the  acquaintance  of  the  mandarins,  and  he  had  come  a 
long  M-ay  to  have  that  pleasure ;  whereupon  the  three- 
feather  personage  wagged  his  head  and  tail  towards  his 
friends,  and  replied  ^  Chin-chin,''  —  that  is,  '  Glad  to 
hear  it.' 

"  There  was  then  a  considerable  pause ;  for  these 
Cochin  Chinese  are  a  polite  people,  and  have  colleges  to 
educate  their  youth  in  that  branch  of  learning,  which 
would  not  injure  the  manners  of  some  of  you  fellows," 
added  the  commissary,  as  he  nodded  over  to  Montacute 
and  Brokenberry,  who  were  making  sotto  voce  sneers  at 
his  narrative,  ringing  finger  bowls,  jingling  glasses,  and 
the  like  annoying  amusements. 


o46  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

The  purser  continued :  ^^  By  and  by  Mr.  Blister 
opened  his  gas  battery  again,  and  desired  to  have  the 
honor  of  entertaining  them  with  a  brief  speech. 

"  'Chin-chin.' 

'^  So  he  harangued  them  at  length  ;  began  with  Con- 
fucius and  the  evils  of  gunpowder  ;  glanced  at  the  arts, 
the  Tartar  wall,  pestilence,  and  pirates  ;  concluding  by 
contrasting  the  horrors  of  war  with  the  blessings  of 
peace,  and  the  sincere  desire  cherished  by  our  people  to 
'  open  up '  the  commerce  into  Cochin  China  and  the  ad- 
jacent regions. 

"  At  the  same  time  he  demanded  leave  to  read  the 
letter  of  apology  from  the  President  of  the  United  States 
to  the  Emperor  of  the  Celestials.  '  Chin-chin '  was 
uttered  the  third  time,  and  while  the  Chinamen  pulled 
out  their  fans  from  the  backs  of  their  necks  and  began 
quietly  to  fan  themselves,  our  envoy.  Blister,  produced 
the  richly-bound  case  that  contained  his  credentials,  and 
cutting  the  silk  cords,  down  rolled  the  parchment,  with 
a  huge  red  seal  as  big  as  a  biscuit,  and  blue  ribbons 
dangling  at  the  ends.  It  was  one  of  the  prettiest  and 
most  portentous  documents  from  an  outside  view  you 
ever  saw. 

"I  don't  remember  precisely  the  words  of  this  im- 
portant missive ;  nor  was  there,  as  I  learned  since,  a 
single  copy  of  it  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  de- 
partment of  state  ;  but  the  pith  of  the  communication 
was,  a  warm  panegyric  upon  the  Celestials,  a  reciprocity 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  347 

of  souls  in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  the  grief  felt 
upon  hearing  that  one  of  our  sea  mandarins  had  mur- 
dered, with  frightful  artillery,  the  innocent  and  friendly 
subjects  of  the  emperor,  and  urgently  requesting  that 
potentate  to  think  no  more  about  it,  but  to  be  comforted 
and  be  friends  again. 

"  '  Hi-yah  !  '  said  the  three-feather  gold  button,  with 
the  slightest  touch  of  surprise,  after  this  despatch  had 
been  carefully  rendered,  word  for  word.  '  Hi-yah,^ 
softly  murmured  the  other  nobs,  as  their  tails  vibrated, 
and  they  all  moved  rather  uneasily  on  the  mats,  and 
seemed  to  be  a  little  disturbed  at  the  information  just 
imparted  to  them. 

"  Meanwhile  our  commissioner  was  radiant  with  joy  ; 
his  eyes  sparkled,  a  smile  overspread  his  fiice,  as  if  he 
was  in  a  profuse  perspiration  of  happiness,  and  we  all 
waited,  in  the  confident  belief  that  the  commerce  was  to 
be  '  opened  up  '  in  five  minutes  at  the  furthest. 

"  Still  there  was  a  decorous  interval  before  any  reply 
came,  the  mandarins  merely  intimating  that,  as  there 
would  be  some  time  to  elapse  before  they  could  give  a 
satisfactory  answer  to  so  momentous  a  message,  they 
would  advise  us  to  throw  off  our  cloth  coats  and  heavy 
raiment.  Now,  with  the  thermometer  at  parboiling 
heat,  you  may  rest  satisfied  that  we  were  not  slow  in 
taking  advantage  of  this  polite  suggestion,  all  save  Lieu- 
tenant Swayback,  who  candidly  admitted  that,  since  he 
did  not  belong   to   a   clean   shirt   fiunily,  he  would  not 


348  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

risk  an  exposure  of  the  arcana  of  his  vestments  to  please 
any  body,  not  even  Buddlia  himself.  He  consoled 
himself,  however,  with  a  sip  of  cooling  sam-shou,  fiery 
enough  to  scald  the  back  off  an  armadillo. 

*'  All  this  period  the  mandarins  sat  with  the  corners 
of  their  eyes  unnaturally  turned  up,  even  for  them,  nod- 
ding one  to  another,  and  using  their  fans  unceasingly. 
They  did  not  use  these  instruments  on  all  occasions  for 
their  faces,  for  sometimes  they  would  raise  the  skirts  of 
their  blue  frocks,  and  vibrate  the  fans  underneath,  so  as 
to  keep  a  cool  ciixulation  all  around,  during  the  heat  of 
their  deliberations. 

"  By  the  way,  let  me  tell  you  that  your  true  Chinaman 
can  do  nothing  in  life  without  a  fan.  Indeed,  I  once 
beheld  about  two  thousand  of  these  natives  at  Canton 
under  immense  excitement,  with  each  a  brickbat  in  one 
hand,  ready  to  dash  out  the  foreigners'  brains,  and  fan- 
ning themselves  with  the  other  as  if  they  never  would 
get  another  chance. 

"  Presently,  however,  the  mandarins  let  fall  the  hems 
of  their  garments,  closed  the  fans,  thrust  them  in  the 
cases  back  of  their  necks,  shook  their  tails  and  feathers 
in  place,  and  having  given  orders  to  a  scribe  of  their 
party,  he  went  behind  a  curtain  for  a  space,  and  then 
returned  with  a  little  roll  of  rice  paper,  which  was 
handed  with  extreme  politeness  to  the  gold  button. 
'Chin-chin,'  he  uttered  softly,  as  he  handed  the  paper  to 
his  coadjutors,  who  said  'Chin-chin^  also. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  349 

'^  *  Now,  gentlemen/  said  our  commissioner,  with, 
much  complacency,  ^  there's  nothing  like  republican  di- 
plomacy. Come  out  plain  and  blunt,  and  the  affair  is 
settled  at  once.  Observe,  in  former  times  it  took  a 
month  or  a  year  to  get  a  reply  from  these  people ;  but 
now  these  shrewd  fellows  have  made  up  their  minds  in 
a  twinkling,  and  when  the  '  commerce  is  opened  up,' 
there  will  be  no  bounds  to  the  wealth  in  store  for  us.' 

"  He  had  hardly  finished  these  remarks  when,  by  a 
sign  from  the  gold  button,  the  interpreter  took  the  roll 
of  rice  paper,  opened  it,  and  immediately  gave  utterance 
to  the  literal  translation  in  these  awful  words  :  — 

"  *  Lookee  !  mandarin  lik-ee  talk  ver-ee  mush ;  same 
tim-ee,  no  man  killee  here  ;  all  lie-e.  Emperor  no 
wantee  see  him.  Go  away-ee.  No  com  bak-ee  no 
more.' 

"  No  sooner  was  this  communication  made  than  the 
mandarins  exclaimed,  ^  Chin-chin,^  and  rising  in  a  body 
from  the  mosaic  floor,  moved  off  in  their  usual  po- 
lite way,  thus  breaking  up  the  conference.  Mean- 
while we  stood  attentively  regarding  our  special  com- 
missioner, Mr.  Blister,  who  was  rosy  with  rage,  and  who 
ground  out,  as  the  last  blue  frock  of  the  high  mandarins 
rustled  out  of  the  chamber,  *  You  long-tailed,  stale  egg 
eating,  treacherous  villains,  you're  afraid  if  the  emperor 
hears  that  any  of  his  subjects  have  been  killed,  that  he'll 
chop  off  your  heads  at  the  announcement.' 

*'  So  we  put  on  our  coats,  countermarched  back  to  the 
30 


350  TALES    FOE,    THE    MARINES. 

frigate,  and  sailed  away  from  Bankok ;  and  to  tlie  best 
of  my  knowledge  and  belief,  that  was  as  far  as  ever  we 
got  to  '  opening  up  the  commerce '  in  the  dominions  of 
the  Cochin  Chinese. 

"  Hi-yahj''  added  the  purser,  as  he  swallowed  the 
last  of  his  nuts,  and  then  pitched  what  he  called  a  "  man 
drink  "  —  a  large  glass  of  port  —  down  after  them,  while 
the  majority  of  the  mess  spoke  derisively  of  his  recent 
efforts  to  entertain  them. 

"  Speaking  of  Jack  Percy,"  said  Sam  Jackstones, 
"  I've  heard  a  professional  tradition  of  something  which 
happened  to  him  w^hen  in  command  of  the  Pappoose,  one 
gun  schooner,  in  the  West  Indies." 

"  Long  story  ?  "  inquired  Noly. 

"  No,  short  story,"  said  Jackstones. 

"Break  stops,  then." 

"  Why,  Percy  was  first  lieutenant ;  the  surgeon  had 
been  ill  with  a  constipation  for  a  couple  of  weeks  or 
more ;  so  he  made  his  will,  and  having  been  on  cool 
terms  wdth  old  Jack,  sent  for  him,  made  his  peace,  and 
gave  himself  up  to  be  disposed  of  as  he,  Percy,  should 
direct.  Jack  affirmed  he  could  cure  the  poor  man ;  so 
he  had  him  plumped  into  the  galley  coppers,  adminis- 
tered a  gross  of  grains  of  calomel,  then  boiled  him,  and 
finally  had  him  kneaded  by  a  couple  of  stout  negro 
cooks.  It  may  surprise  you  to  hear  that  this  mild  treat- 
ment had  the  desired  effect,  and  the  surgeon  entirely 
recovered ;  but  he  hated  Jack  Percy  malignantly  ever 
afterwards."  . 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  351 

'^  Don't  wonder,"  said  Montacute  ;  "  lie  sliould  have 
assassinated  that  first  lieutenant  the  moment  he  had 
strength  to  wield  a  jackknife." 

''  Now  I'll  tell  you  something  very  amusing  indeed/' 
said  young  Ladders,  who  had  just  returned  from  the 
sick  bay ;  but  at  that  moment  the  sharp  taps  of  the 
drums  were  heard  on  the  gun  deck  for  evening  divisions, 
and,  rising  from  the  mahogany,  the  sea  officers  buckled 
on  their  swords,  and  left  the  gun  room  comparatively 
deserted. 

I  am  getting  dry,  added  the  narrator  ;  in  which  his 
audience  concurred,  and  the  party  broke  up. 


CHAPTER    X. 

For  some  days  longer  the  frigate  drifted  slowly  on 
her  course,  until  one  night  the  quicksilver  of  the  barom- 
eter began  to  retire  within  the  lower  bulb,  and  before 
the  day  broke,  the  ship  was  under  close-reefed  topsails,, 
a  pale  blue  corposan  on  each  spindle  of  the  mastheads, 
and  attended  by  such  crashing  thunder  and  lightning  as 
is  only  enjoyed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata. 
The  gale,  however,  w^as  fair,  and  dashing  boldly  into 
the  mouth  of  the  broad  river,  we  passed  Lobos  Island 
the  same  day,  and  the  following  morning  we  cast  anchor 
off  Montevideo. 

At  the  time  I  was  standing  on  the  Colombine's  poop, 
borrowing  a  spy  glass  every  half  minute  from  the  quar- 
ter master  on  duty,  for  Antonietta  to  peep  about  at  the 
low,  unwooded  country,  wdiere  there  was  nothing  to 
relieve  the  monotony  save  the  swelling  hillock  of  the 
mount  to  the  west,  while  the  city,  in  the  opposite  bear- 
ing, lay  a  mass  of  white,  flat  houses.  Their  azoteas 
were  enlivened  with  the  inhabitants,  who,  old  and 
young,  w^ere  amusing  themselves  in  the  innocent  recre- 
ation of  flying  kites. 

The   anchor  had   scarcely  touched  bottom,  —  and  a 

(352) 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  353 

very  little  way  it  had  to  go,  -—before,  to  my  chagrin,  I 
heard  the  commodore  say  to  his  flag  lieutenant,  "  Make 
signal  for  the  Juniata  to  weigh  and  to  send  a  boat  on 
board  for  despatches."  The  order  was  promptly  exe- 
cuted ;  the  bits  of  gay  bunting  were  bent  on,  hoisted, 
shook  out,  and  presently  a  pennant  answered  the  signal 
from  the  corvette. 

"Gringo,"  said  Montacute,  "you'd  better  pack  up 
your  traps,  for  there's  no  time  to  lose,  if  you  intend  to 
rest  in  Mad  Jack's  bosom  this  cruise." 

In  a  few  minutes  I  was  in  readiness,  had  taken  a  ten- 
der leave  of  Antonietta, 

"  Don't  say  tender,''''  said  one  of  the  Lieutenant's  fair 
auditors  —  she  with  the  pretty  ankles  —  "  it  is  always 
associated  with  beefsteaks  in  my  mind." 

Well,  then,  continued  the  narrator,  I  gently  squeezed 
the  little  flirt's 

"  No,  don't  say  squeezed  either,"  persisted  the  damsel; 
"  that  reminds  me  of  lemons  ;  say  you  pressed  her  hand." 

O,  of  course ;  I  pressed  her  hand,  and  soon  after  I 
was  on  the  deck  of  my  own  ship.  I  was  not  received, 
however,  with  that  degree  of  aSectionate  ardor  which  1 
somehow  anticipated,  nor  was  I  indeed  noticed  in  any 
way  except  by  Kox.  That  youth  put  his  head  up  the 
main  hatch  ladder,  like  a  spectre,  and  exclaimed,  — 

"You  confounded  skulk,  hurry  and  get  tea,  and 
relieve  me ;  recollect,  too,  that  you'll  have  the  middle 
watch." 

SO* 


354  TALES  FOR  THE  MARINEg. 

The  men  were  at  the  bars  of  the  capstan,  and  Cap- 
tain John  Percy,  with  his  black  whalebone  cane  in  hand, 
was  touching  up  the  marines  and  afterguard  in  their 
bunts,  treating  them  the  while,  as  they  danced  round 
before  him,  to  some  of  his  choicest  precepts,  so  as  to 
encourage  them  to  get  the  anchor  to  the  bows  in  double 
quick  time. 

'^  Heave,  boys,"  he  began,  with  a  singing,  shrillish 
tone  ;  "  heave,  my  dear  boys  —  one  shoulder  under  the 
bars  —  stand  m'cII  out  —  there  she  comes  —  don't  jam 
the  messenger  —  keep  the  palls  up." 

Here  the  whalebone  cane  would  be  playing  the  devil's 
tattoo  on  the  tight  trousers  of  the  men,  and  his  voice 
would  rise  shriller  and  higher,  until  it  gained  a  current 
of  perfect  yells. 

<'  Heave,  I  say !  you  lazy  bones !  you  infernal  town 
meeting  democrats !  Take  that,  you  lubber !  kill  that 
nigger  !     Up  with  the  anchor,  I  say  !  " 

"With  such  persuasive  pleadings  and  practice,  it  was 
no  matter  of  wonder  that  the  chain  came  rumbHng 
quickly  in  to  the  hawse  holes,  and  then  "Anchor's 
a-weigh  !  "  and  "  Anchor's  up  !  "  following  in  rapid  suc- 
cession from  the  officer  on  the  forecastle.  "  Unship  the 
bars  !  hoist  the  jib !  let  fall !  "  was  roared  through  the 
trumpet  to  the  sail  loosers  on  the  yards,  and  instantly 
the  folds  of  the  courses  and  topsails  swelled  out  from 
the  gaskets,  the  sheets  rolled  home  like  magic ;  and  as 
the  order  was  given  to  '*  hoist  away  the  topsails,"  the 


^ 


TALES  FOR    TILE    MAKIXES.  oO-J 

yards  rose  without  a  pause  to  the  mastheads.  The  lof- 
tier canvas  was  then  spread,  and  with  the  yards  properly 
trimmed,  the  ship  fell  off  to  the  breeze,  and  we  passed 
close  under  the  stem  of  the  frisrate.  I  had  only  time 
to  exchange  one  hasty  wave  of  the  hand  with  Antoni- 
etta,  as  the  young  beauty  stood  with  her  kerchief  to  her 
eyes,  surrounded  by  officers  ;  but  whether  she  was 
laughing  or  crying,  I  don't  know ;  at  the  time  I  of 
course  believed  she  was  sublimed  in  tears. 

On  the  corvette  went,  studding  sails  spread  on  both 
sides,  and  in  a  couple  of  hours  we  lost  sight  of  the  Co- 
lombine,  and  I  was  again  pursuing  the  same  liquid  road 
I  had  so  lately  passed  over. 

On  first  getting  on  board,  I  reported  myself  to  the 
captain ;  but  the  only  satisfaction  I  received  was  to  have 
my  ears  sharply  pulled  till  my  eyes  watered,  and  gruffl3' 
told  to  have  my  "  hair  cropped  so  close  that  a  pair  of 
pinchers  couldn't  nip  one  of  'em." 

The  first  lieutenant  also  seemed  to  be  in  an  equally 
amiable  mood,  for  he  observed,  with  a  frown,  that  if  he 
ever  found  my  hammock  as  much  neglected  as  it  had 
been  since  I  left,  he'd  quarantine  me  for  a  Dutch  dog 
watch  ;  meaning  thereby  the  cruise. 

Escaping  from  the  quarter  deck,  I  made  a  straight 
wake  forward,  to  seek  a  little  sympathy  from  my  sweet- 
tempered  friend.  Jack  Gracieux.  He  was  standing  on 
the  topgallant  forecastle,  intently  peering   through  his 


356  TALES    FOK    THE    MARINES. 

eye  glass  at  the  rapidly-receding  shore,  but^  as  I  discov- 
ered, in  no  enviable  frame  of  mind  either. 

"  Split  my  canvas  !  "  said  he  ;  "  half  a  dozen  pairs  of 
duck  trousers  gone,  and  as  many  fine  shirts  as  ever  were 
seen  in  New  Spain ;  to  say  nothing  of  minor  valuable 
gear.  Alas  for  my  shirts!  that  is  my  greatest  grief;  I 
have  a  fondness  for  shirts,  particularly  for  linen  ones, 
for  there's  a  constitutional  whiteness  about  linen  which 
common  dingy,  yellow,  plebeian  cotton  can  never  attain. 
However,  it  will  be  a  warning  to  me  never  to  trust  a 
washing  person  whose  physical  structure  in  the  least  com- 
pares with  mine.  Indeed,  I  shall,.  I  fear,  be  obliged  to 
take  a  mental  measurement  of  all  laundry  women's  legs, 
lest  they  devote  my  trousers  to  some  unfeminine  use." 

Here  observing  me  looking  up  into  his  fiice,  he  con- 
tinued, — 

"  Why,  younker,  I'm  ruined ;  but  if  I  had  been 
blessed  Avith  such  a  miserable  pair  of  little  trotters  as 
those  lucifer  matches  of  yours,  I  could  not  reasonably 
fear  any  abstractions  from  my  wardrobe ;  and  now  just 
oblige  me  by  jumping  down  off  this  ladder,  or  I'll " 

"  Man  the  fore  tacks,  and  stand  by  to  let  fall  the  fore- 
sail," came  from  the  trumpet;  and  finding  that  even 
Jack  Gracieux  wished  to  get  rid  of  me,  I  stole  aft  again. 

Going  below,  along  the  berth  deck,  I  found  Tom 
Slade  stretched  out  in  the  gunner's  state  room,  which, 
as  he  jocosely  observed^  he   liked   far   better  than   the 


TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES.  357 

gunner's  company.  Slade  had  lost  clothes  also  by  the 
sudden  departure  of  the  corvette  —  a  loss  which  from 
appearances  he  could  ill  afford.  His  outer  man  was  cov- 
ered with  a  blanket,  which  being  of  small  dimensions, 
in  order  effectually  to  screen  his  person,  he  had  his  big 
toe  stuck  through  one  corner  of  it,  while  the  diagonal 
point  was  held  fast  in  his  teeth,  "  shghtly  impeding  his 
articulation,"  he  remarked,  *'  but  still  answering  every 
purpose  of  health,  comfort,  and  convenience." 

"Are  you  under  hatches  and  arrested?"  I  ventured 
to  inquire. 

^^  Not  exactly  arrested,"  he  rejoined,  "  but  my  affairs 
of  late  have  assumed  so  threatening  an  aspect,  that  a 
body  of  gentlemen,  seven  or  five  strong,  I  really  forget 
which,  assembled  in  full  uniform  around  the  cabin  table, 
where,  after,  as  they  wrote,  '  a  careful  investigation  of 
numerous  accounts  and  mercantile  vouchers,  they  felt 
bound  to  allow  all  dividends.'  Accordingly,  my  small 
friend,  they  decided  that  I  should  be  declared  a  bank- 
rupt, sent  to  the  home  station  by  the  first  convenient 
opportunity,  and  henceforth  be  permitted  to  take  a  final 
adieu  of  the  public  service. 

"  And  now,"  he  added,  ''  if  you'll  hand  me  that  tum- 
bler of  whiskey  out  of  the  locker,  and  shut  the  door  care- 
fully when  you  go  out,  I  shall  be  delighted  never  to  see 
you  again." 

In  the  steerage,  after  all  hands  had  been  piped  down, 
matters  seemed  to   be  worse.     It  was  known  that  the 


358  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

ship  ^Yas  bound  to  the  Falkland  Islands  and  cold  weather. 
Bonny  Davie  was  bewailing  the  loss  of  a  case  of  gin, 
which,  after  due  consultation,  had  been  ordered  from  the 
city,  instead  of  a  pea  jacket,  to  keep  his  blood  in  circu- 
lation. In  the  first  ten  minutes  I  got  into  a  fight  with 
one  of  my  tow-lieaded  messmates  at  the  table,  and  a 
black  eye  to  enhance  my  beauty,  for  simply  insisting 
upon  a  fair  share  of  the  flapjacks.  Towards  night, 
however,  when  Mickey  Maginnis  came  down  to  hang  up 
my  hammock,  and  Kit  Dolphin,  the  dear  old  piebald 
fiiced  soul,  found  time  to  embrace  me  at  the  steerage 
bulkhead,  I  was  so  glad  to  see  them  once  more,  that  I 
soon  forgot  the  contused  glim  and  the  miseries  of  a 
man-of-war's  steerage. 

The  time  wore  on  with  the  ordinary  detestable  mo- 
notony of  a  life  at  sea,  and  sailing  well  in  with  the 
Patagonian  coast,  in  about  twenty  days  we  bore  away 
from  the  bleak  iron-capped  hills  of  Staten  Land  for  the 
Falkland  Islands.  Why  we  came  to  this  out-of-the-way 
group  I  never  found  out.  Some  said,  to  hang  the  gov- 
ernor for  not  allowing  the  sealers  to  steal  cattle,  and 
others  to  take  formal  possession  of  the  islands.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  all  we  did,  if  my  memory  serves  me,  for  many 
weeks,  was  to  knock  over  penguins  and  geese  with  boat 
hooks,  and  shoot  bullocks  and  wild  fowl  upon  the  plains. 
In  place  of  hanging  the  governor,  we  found  him  one  of 
the  pleasantest  fellows  in  the  South  Seas ;  and  in  the  lit 
tie  shed  where  he  bivouacked,  surrounded  by  his  body 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  359 

guard  and  garrison  of  some  eight  or  ten  individuals,  we 
drank  his  liquids  and  toasted  our  toes  over  his  fire  daily. 
Whatever  may  have  been  our  mission,  it  appeared  to 
terminate  honorably  to  all  parties ;  and  so,  one  chill, 
dreary  day,  with  the  coops  crammed  with  geese,  the 
launch  packed  with  a  small  drove  of  bullocks,  whose 
horns  had  a  very  ominous  look  over  the  gunwale  of  the 
boat,  we  tripped  our  anchor  and  left  the  Islas  Malvinas. 

For  nearly  a  year  and  a  half  after  this  visit,  we  were 
kept  on  the  full  run  between  Rio  Janeiro,  Pernambuco, 
and  Montevideo,  touching  at  times  at  Santos,  St.  Catha- 
rine's, and  Praya  Grande,  but  hardly  ever  remaining 
long  enough  in  port  to  take  even  a  daguerreotype  im- 
pression of  either  of  them.  It  was  no  sooner  drop 
anchor,  than  take  in  water  and  provisions,  and  off  again 
with  despatches,  or  what  not.  Once  it  was  roundly  as- 
serted by  the  boatswain,  that  we  were  sent  for  a  salt 
water  wig  for  the  commodore's  wife's  sister,  a  romantic 
young  lady  of  about  forty-three  winters,  who  had  in 
remote  times  been  beloved  by  Carrera,  on  the  Spanish 
Main,  and  who  had,  ever  since,  taken  remarkable  care  of 
her  toilet  and  coiffure.  In  some  instances  it  was  thought 
she  carried  the  passion  too  high,  and  wore  her  bib  an 
inch  or  two  too  low  for  a  damsel  of  her  complexion. 

In  all  these  cruisings  of  eighteen  months  we  had 
never  yet  been  to  Buenos  Ayres  ;  and  in  consequence 
of  this  forgetfulness  on  the  part  of  the  government,  I 
was  still  pining  for  Antonietta.     At  last  a  terrible  com- 


360  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

motion  was  bruited  in  that  city,  and  it  was  deemed  ex- 
pedient to  send  a  ship  there,  to  afford,  if  required,  a 
little  aid  and  comfort  to  our  countrymen  who  might 
chance  to  stand  in  need  of  it. 

"VVe  were  lying  at  Montevideo  at  the  time,  and  when 
the  order  came,  a  jack  was  hoisted  at  the  fore  for  a  pilot, 
while  the  bow  gun  gave  loud  notice  of  it. 

Presently  there  came  on  board  a  stout,  rosy-cheeked, 
black-eyed  old  fellow,  as  fat  as  a  carp,  who,  with  the  air 
of  a  courtier  of  Louis  le  Debonnaire's  reign,  doffed  his 
glazed  sombrero  to  Mad  Jack,  who  was  standing  at  the 
gangway  to  receive  him.  He  was  evidently  of  the 
grande  71  at  ion. 

"  Arc  you  a  regular  pilot  ?  "  was  Percy's  first  saluta- 
tion ;   "  and  what's  your  name  ?  " 

"  Oui,  mosseul  name  Polarbitz." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Powderbitch,  I  am  bound  up  the  river, 
and  if  you  run  the  ship  ashore  I'll  shoot  you !  that's 
alL" 

"  Sacre,  sair,  zat  not  all !  no,  s'pose  you  shoot,  I 
shoot  back,  and  me  name  Polarbitz,  sair,"  retorted  the 
old  trump,  between  his  teeth,  with  a  flash  of  the  eye,  as 
he  looked  the  captain  full  in  the  face. 

''  Bueno,^^  returned  the  latter,  quite  delighted  to  have 
found  some  hitch  upon  the  pilot ;  "  very  good,  Mr. 
Powderwitch ;  let's  be  off  at  once." 

The  individual  thus  addressed  stood  a  moment,  re- 
garding the  captain  with  an  angry  gaze,  as  he  turned  with 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  361 

a  grin  into  his  cabin  —  then  throwing  his  right  arm  into 
position,  as  if  a  small  sword  was  squirming  about  in 
somebody's  lungs,  he  muttered  a  few  strong  expletives 
in  his  native  tongue,  and  slowly  mounting  the  poop  lad- 
der, gave  directions  for  weighing. 

Sail  was  soon  made ;  but  before  getting  clear  of  the 
harbor,  the  wind  fell,  and  there  we  lay  becalmed  on  the 
back  of  the  muddy,  flat  river,  quite  motionless.  The 
sky  was  clear  as  a  bell,  but  the  atmosphere  was  as  hot, 
oppressive,  and  sultry  as  the  breath  of  a  sirocco  on  the 
coast  of  Tunis  ;  and  here  we  staid,  without  budging  an 
inch,  from  ten  in  the  morning  until  four  hours  past  noon. 

The  old  pilot  had  declined  his  dinner,  and  did  noth- 
ing but  take  snuff  violently,  as  he  paced  up  and  down 
the  poop.  Occasionally  he  "svould  pause  in  his  walk, 
look  anxiously  towards  the  west,  and  then  resume  his 
promenade.  Having  apparently  made  up  his  mind  as  to 
the  appearance  of  things,  he  quickly  descended  the  lad- 
der, and  putting  liis  head  in  the  cabin  window,  he 
said,  — 

"  Capitain,  you  will  have  a  devele  of  ze  breeze ;  you 
had  bettair  drop  down  two  anchor  and  all  ze  topmast." 

"  What  for  ?  "  exclaimed  old  Jack  with  a  sneer,  as  he 
glanced  over  liis  shoulder  at  the  sympiesometer. 

"  Ze  pampero  "  replied   the  pilot,  as  he  clapped  his 
steeple-crowned  sombrero  on  his  head,  put  a  pinch  of 
snuff  into  his    mouth  by  mistake,  instead  of  his  nose, 
and  again  sought  his  station  in  a  furious  rage. 
31 


362  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

Now,  you  see  that  Percy,  as  stubborn  an  old  flint  as 
he  undoubtedly  was,  was  yet  a  sailor,  every  inch  of  him. 
He  rarely  despised  a  warning,  come  how  it  would  ;  and 
his  own  excellent  judgment  upon  nautical  matters  gen- 
erally carried  him  clear  of  the  blunders  which  other 
men  were  foolishly  wrecked  upon.  On  this  occasion, 
however,  there  really  did  not  seem,  to  all  human  vision, 
any  thing  to  require  the  vessel  to  be  stripped  of  her  sails, 
the  masts  housed,  and  anchors  down ;  for  a  clearer  after- 
noon, and  a  brighter  or  more  cloudless  sky,  was  not  to 
be  found  any  where  on  the  globe. 

"  Zair  is  dam  leetel  time  to  lose,  sair,"  again  suggested 
the  pilot,  with  a  decided  tone. 

"All  right,  Mounseer  Powderbreech,"  said  Percy, 
coolly,  and  at  the  same  time  maliciously ;  "  but  when  are 
we  to  look  for  this  pampero  ?  and  what  do  you  judge 
from,  eh  ?  " 

"  My  name,  sair,  for  ze  last  time,  is  Polar-r-r-r-bitz," 
making  the  r's  burr  like  a  humming  top,  "  and  I  zay 
zat  I  feel  ze  pampero  in  ze  bones,  like  you  feel  ze  bet 
on  ze  cards  at  monte  I  ah,  ha!  sacre  ionnerre !  voila,  see 
him  com  over  Ensenada  —  dam  !  " 

While  he  spoke,  away  to  the  west,  where  the  mirage 
of  the  trees  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  visible, 
we  beheld  a  purple  roll  of  clouds  just  verging  above  the 
horizon.  Towards  the  centre  of  the  stream  an  arch 
of  the  same  purplish-colored  vapor  began  to  lift  its  back 
above  water,  until   it  had  risen   a  considerable  height, 


TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES.  863 

and  both  ends  of  the  span  stretched  from  side  to  side  of 
the  mighty  river.  It  rose,  however,  very  slowly  ;  and 
when  its  form  became  well  developed,  it  presented  one 
heavy,  dark  rope  of  clouds,  the  edges  rough  and  ragged, 
like  a  mass  of  coarse  wool,  which  all  came  rolling  round 
and  round,  in  a  continuous  whirlwind  of  dust  and  mist. 

Old  Percy  needed  but  one  glance  at  this  singular  phe- 
nomenon before  he  gave  the  requisite  orders  to  clew  up, 
furl  every  thing,  send  down  light  yards  and  top-gallant 
masts,  and  to  house  topmasts.  Both  bower  anchors 
were  at  the  same  time  let  go  under  foot,  with  a  great 
scope  of  chain  on  each,  ready  on  deck  to  veer  when  the 
squall  struck  us.  The  men  worked  like  beavers,  and 
for  twenty  minutes  there  was  nothing  heard  but  the  sway- 
ing, unfidding,  and  housing  of  masts,  sending  down  the 
heavy  gear  and  light  sails  from  aloft,  and  getting  the 
topsail  yards  upon  the  forward  rims  of  the  tops. 

During  this  interval,  the  Juniata  lay,  as  before,  mo- 
tionless on  the  shining  surface  of  the  yellow  river,  with- 
out a  ripple,  and  wondering,  no  doubt,  why  she  was 
thus  stripped  of  her  pinions  and  crippled  in  her  arms. 
Meanwhile,  the  dark,  ominous  bow  came  slowly  up, 
revolving  as  on  its  rising,  and  tinged  at  times  by  a  sick- 
ly, murky  flame,  reflected  from  the  sun.  On  it  came, 
obscuring  the  sun  itself  for  a  full  minute,  as  it  passed 
before  the  disk,  until  the  mighty  arch  fairly  spanned 
the  zenith  for  the  whole  diameter  of  the  horizon.  Still 
there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind. 


364  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

"  'Well,  pilot/'  said  Mr.  Hope,  as  he  leaned  listlessly 
against  the  mizzen  rigging,  "  that  queer-looking  dust 
bow  has  passed  over  without  a  pufF,  and  we've  had  all 
the  trouble  for  nothing." 

**  Noting,  eh  ?  "  returned  M.  Polarbitz,  while  he  care- 
fully removed  his  wig  from  his  head  and  buttoned  it  up 
in  the  breast  of  his  coat.  "  Hombug,  eh  ?  "  he  contin- 
ued ;  "  zen,  by  dam,  Jean  Paul  Polarbitz  lie  like  ze 
devele  !  Mais,  Mistaire  Lieutenant,  what  you  see  by 
ze  mount  zere  ?     Ah,  ha  !  " 

"Every  one  lay  down  from  aloft!"  shouted  Mr. 
Hope ;  "  not  even  a  top  keeper  in  the  tops !  Down 
every  body  !  " 

In  the  direction  the  pilot  pointed,  there  was  a  wave 
coming  along  over  the  water,  like  a  huge  roller  just 
breaking  with  its  cust  of  spray  upon  a  shelving  shore 
of  an  ocean  beach,  only  in  place  of  the  light,  clear  blue 
or  bottle  green,  it  was  of  a  muddy  yellow,  with  a  thick, 
dirty  mist  hanging  over  it,  as  if,  like  a  net,  it  was  attract- 
ed by  the  sombre  arch  in  the  heavens.  It  was  accom- 
panied, too,  by  a  low,  moaning  roar,  as  if  a  great  drove 
of  wild  bulls  were  bellowing  to  us  from  the  pampas.  It 
moved  in  a  straight  line,  never  turning  or  curving,  but 
regular  as  the  advance  of  a  regiment  of  grenadier  guards, 
and  rushing  on  as  if  to  fill  a  vacuum,  it  struck  the  cor- 
vette, like  a  clap  of  thunder,  broad  on  the  beam.  It  was 
old  Boreas  himself,  who 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARIXES.  365 

" in  passion  spoke  these  huffing  things  ; 

And  as  he  spoke  he  shook  his  dreadful  wings  ; 
At  which  afar  the  shivering  sea  was  fanned, 
And  the  wide  surface  of  the  distant  land." 

The  Lieutenant  was  fond  of  quoting  poetry  ;  but  being 
discouraged  by  his  audience,  he  usually  refrained. 

If  I  say,  he  proceeded,  that  the  first  jar  fairly  hurled  the 
ship's  stern  eighty  feet,  I  am  persuaded  I  should  be  well 
within  the  mark.  Indeed,  a  few  of  us  thought  she  had  gone 
bodily  up  into  the  air,  and  some  of  the  marines  vouched 
to  having  seen  the  bottom  of  the  river  itself,  as  the  roll- 
er, with  its  volume  of  mud  and  water,  dashed  clean  over 
the  bulwarks,  stove  the  quarter  boat  and  weather  ham- 
mock nettings,  and  sAvept  all  before  it  on  the  decks.  The 
next  instant,  however,  the  ship  swung  to  the  influence 
of  the  tornado,  the  slack  cables  which  had  been  ranged 
along  the  waist  flew  out  in  a  stream  of  fire,  wrenching 
oflf  the  heads  of  the  bits,  twisting  the  stout  compress- 
ors in  the  tiers  like  so  much  bird  cage  wire,  and  never 
stopping  till  the  last  links  clinched  to  the  kelson  were 
brought  up  with  a  surge  that  tore  away  the  main  hatch 
combings,  and  made  the  Juniata  quiver  to  the  heart. 

The  pampero  raged  with  tremendous  violence  for  more 
than  an  hour,  while  heavy  clouds  filled  the  sky  almost  to 
blackness  ;  and  then  gradually  the  wind  veered  round 
to  the  south-west,  settled  down  into  a  hard  gale,  and 
blew  great  guns  for  three  days.  Towards  the  close  of 
this   entertainment   Mr.    Polarbitz  dined    with    Captain 


366  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

Percy,  and  before  we  reached  our  destination  they  were 
sworn  friends,  though  Percy  would  still  persist  in  call- 
ing the  pilot  out  of  his  name. 

At  Buenos  Ay  res  we  anchored  in  the  outer  roads, 
nearly  seven  miles  from  the  city.  We  could  barely  see 
the  white  towers  of  the  churches  and  buildings  of  the 
town,  as  they  seemed  to  loom  up  from  the  water  itself, 
for,  save  by  the  effect  of  mirage,  the  land  was  rarely  vis- 
ible. It  was  always  a  tedious  pull  to  reach  the  city  ;  and 
even  then  we  only  passed  from  one  water  vehicle  to  an- 
other, for  the  banks  of  the  river  were  so  low  and  shal- 
low, and  so  filled  with  tuscas,  —  pointed  ridges  of  hard 
clay,  —  that  we  were  obliged  to  get  from  the  boats  into 
huge  ungainly  carts  of  hide,  with  enormous  wheels,  and 
thus  be  rolled  to  the  dry  land. 

Before  leaving  Rio  on  our  last  visit,  I  had  gone  rather 
extensively  into  the  fan  business ;  that  is  to  say,  I  had 
purchased  an  ahanico  of  the  pearliest  hue,  fringed  with 
down,  and  the  leaves  painted  in  a  style  that  might  not 
have  displeased  old  Isabey  himself  I  had  impoverished 
myself,  also,  at  the  diamond  marts,  by  a  pair  of  brilliant 
eardrops,  —  which  have  been  the  cause  of  perpetual 
discord  between  that  lady  there  with  the  baby  and  my- 
self, Pred,  whispered  the  narrator,  —  all  for  a  tiifling 
souvenir  of  friendship  —  or,  as  Antonietta  prettily  said, 
"  uno  pequeno  recado  de  amistad  "  —  to  my  wilful  sweet- 
heart. 

These  treasures  I  usually  wore  in  my  jacket  pockets, 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  367 

SO  as  to  be  ready  at  a  moment's  notice  to  deliver ;  and  I 
believe  on  my  soul  that  I  looked  earnestly  for  the  little 
Creole  in  every  boat  which  came  alongside,  believing,  in. 
the  warmth  of  my  love,  that  she  would  be  inconsolable 
until  we  met. 

The  first  day,  however,  I  was  disappointed,  for  there 
was  never  a  petticoat  afloat.  The  next  we  assisted  in 
burying  the  captain  of  a  French  ship  of  war  —  Espiaux 
was  his  name  ;  and  he  it  was  who,  when  a  boy,  behaved 
so  bravely  at  the  wreck  of  the  Medusa.  On  landing  we 
were  all  marched  in  procession  ;  and  notwithstanding 
the  azoteas  and  the  grilles  of  the  heavy  Spanish  windows 
were  thronged  with  mantillas,  waving  fans,  and  lovely 
faces,  yet  I  could  not  detect  those  large,  lustrous,  black 
orbs  of  my  little  brunette.  I  am  confident  that  not  one 
who  followed  that  gallant  old  sailor  to  the  grave  present- 
ed any  thing  like  the  picture  of  woe  that  I  did.  But 
what  added  to  my  sorrow,  and  indignation  likewise,  was 
to  be  informed  by  a  French  midshipman,  with  a  toss  of 
the  chin  and  a  rattle  of  the  coil  of  gold  aiguillettes  on  his 
shoulder,  in  reply  to  my  question  if  he  knew  the  family 
of  my  sweetheart,  ^'Ah,  oui,  certainement !  The  eldest 
daughter  was  quite  frappee  with  me  before  they  left 
town."  If  I  had  not  been  rather  a  small-sized  person, 
and  witnesses  present,  I  should  have  doubled  up  that 
French  aspirant  on  the  spot. 

Buenos  Ayres,  at  the  period  I  speak  of,  was,  as  it  were, 
just  simmering  down  to  a  state  of  tranquillity.     Eosas 


SC8  TALES  FOR  THE  MARIN* E0. 

had  done  all  the  fighting  and  assumed  the  supreme  die- 
tatorship.  Many  of  the  disafFected  party  had  not,  how- 
ever, yet  returned  to  the  city,  and  among  them  the  fam- 
ily of  Antonietta.  Order  M^as  a  good  deal  talked  of  in 
the  papers,  but  it  did  not  wholly  prevail.  In  iiict,  dur- 
ing the  day  the  streets  were  filled  with  strolling  guacho 
vagabonds,  who  dashed  at  a  break-neck  speed  up  and 
down,  fresh  from  the  Indian  and  civil  wars  with  their 
leader.  At  night  the  serenos  kept  close  in  the  angles  of 
the  houses,  with  their  lanterns  strapped  to  their  girdles, 
while  they  held  forth  their  villanous  long  pikes,  against 
friends  or  foes  alike,  and  crying  the  hour,  with,  "  Son 
las  doge,  trcs  homhrcs  asasinados,  y  noche  screna,''  — 
very  fine  evening,  three  men  killed  ;  and  generally 
concluding  with,  "  Death  to  the  Unitarians  !  "  At  the 
same  time,  these  Spanish  Charleys  never  went  out  of 
their  way  to  arrest  the  leperos  and  robbers,  who  made 
light  of  dealing  a  thrust  of  a  cuchillo,  or  plundering 
whomsoever  they  chose  to  attack. 

The  Plaza,  however,  on  Sunday  evenings  and  days  of 
grand  funcion,  was  tolerably  well  filled  by  the  crcole 
beauties  of  the  city,  and  with  their  large  shell  combs,  — 
full  five  feet,  many  of  them,  in  span,  —  they  moved  be- 
fore the  palace  as  a  Spanish  girl  only  can  move,  on  their 
arched  feet,  with  their  robes  and  mantillas  gracefully 
flowing  around  them. 

Our  rendezvous  on  shore  was  at  a  boarding  house 
kept  by  a  Mrs.  Bells.     She  was  a  kindly  Milesian  lady. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARI^^ES.  369 

who,  I  believe,  had  fought  under  Whitelock,  and  been 
retained  after  the  capitulation  as  a  hostage.  Although 
Mrs.  Bells  was  a  motherly,  good  creature,  and  did  not 
permit  the  reefers  to  get  very  deep  in  her  debt,  yet  we 
all  had  a  greater  admiration  for  her  adopted  daughter 
Brisrheda,  or  Miss  Biddv,  as  we  did  her  into  Saxon. 
She  was,  indeed,  our  especial  favorite  ;  for  a  nicer,  better 
girl  never  lived,  and  I'm  not  positive  at  this  minute  if  I 
did  not  fall  full  as  much  in  love  with  her  as  with  the 
little  runaway  brunette.  Biddy  was  half  Irish,  half 
Spanish,  with  fine  dark-gray  eyes,  an  earnest  manner, 
and  withal  a  rich,  plaintive  voice,  which  makes  a  man 
love  a  woman  in  the  dark.  It  is  a  good  many  years 
ago  since  I  heard  that  Biddy  married,  and  wandered 
away  from  the  land  of  her  adoption  ;  but  wherever  she 
went,  I  am  persuaded  that  the  man  who  won  her  never 
had  cause  to  repent  his  bargain. 

For  the  long  period  we  lay  in  the  roads  of  Buenos 
Ayres  the  officers  had  week  and  week  about  on  shore, 
so  that  we  had  a  fair  opportunity  of  mingling  in  Creole 
life  to  advantage.  Equestrian  performances  were  our 
chief  delight ;  and  since  horses  were  sold  for  three  dol- 
lars apiece,  we  went  rather  extensively  into  that  species 
of  merchandise. 

One  morning  very  early,  in  company  with  a  reefer 
from  an  English  frigate,  we  mounted  our  steeds  for  a 
gallop.  We  had  been  up  all  night,  dancing  at  a  tertu- 
lia,  and  we  thought  a  little  wholesome  jolting  would 


370  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

tranquillize    our  nerves,   and    give   us  an   appetite   for 
breakfast. 

We  raced  tlirougli  the  Alameda  and  along  the  banks 
of  the  river  for  a  while,  and  then  turned  our  heads  to- 
wards the  Retiro,  a  large  open  space  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  town.     While  traversing  this  place,  and  picking  our 
way  amid  the  mounds,  ditches,  and  carcasses  of  dead  cattle, 
our  attention  became  fixed  upon  a  battahon  of  some  two 
hundred  infantry,  drawn  up  in  front  of  the  high  walls 
of  an  adjoining  barrack.     A  couple  of  priests,  in  long 
black  gowns  and  skullcaps,  came  out  of  a  small  gateway, 
preceded  by  boys  carrying  long,  lighted  tallow  torches, 
the  flames  from  wdiich  flared  and  smoked  in  the  young 
beams  of  the  rising  sun.     We  checked  our  horses,  while 
the  chant  of  the  Salve,  Domine,  rose  in  hoarse,  measured 
strains  from  the  lips  of  the  priests  and  their  attendants, 
and  was  taken  up  by  two  or  three  women,  kneeling  near, 
in  the  same  melancholy,   though   shriller  chorus.      At 
this  moment  the  quick  tap  of  a   drum  broke  into  the 
chant ;  the  troops,  who  were  standing  at  ease,  drew  up 
in  line  in  open  order,  and  a  sergeant  went  along  the 
ranks  distributing  cartridges  out  of  a  leathern  bucket. 

"  Carga !  "  said  the  adjutant ;  and  for  a  minute  the 
men  were  occupied  in  loading  their  pieces  ;  and  nothing 
was  seen  or  heard  but  the  glistening  of  the  steel  ram- 
rods, and  the  dull  sound  of  ramming  home  the  car- 
tridges. 

While    this    operation   was    going    on,    the    priests 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  371 

approached  a  little  ridge  of  uneven  ground,  which  had 
been  thrown  up,  apparently,  from  a  ditch  on  the  other 
side ;  and  when  the  pieces  were  charged,  the  battalion 
filed  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  main  entrance  to  the 
barracks.  The  great  timber  gates  swung  back,  and 
though,  from  our  position,  we  could  not  see  in,  we  heard 
the  clinking  of  hammers  upon  chain  shackles,  and  sup- 
posed they  were  knocking  off  the  irons  from  prisoners. 

In  a  few  moments,  we  found  that  our  surmise  had  been 
correct ;  for  pair  by  pair,  a  large  concourse  of  Indians 
presently  filled  the  open  ground,  between  the  lines  of 
soldiers.  They  were  huddled  together,  waiting  for  the 
manacles  to  be  taken  from  their  companions  ;  and  a  more 
hideous  set  of  human  beings  I  never  beheld.  Their 
long,  matted  black  locks,  escaping  from  beneath  a  bit  of 
striped  stuff,  fell  in  disordered  masses  around  their 
gleaming,  bloodshot  eyes,  pinched,  yellow,  parchment- 
looking  faces,  and  over  their  shoulders.  The  only  cov- 
ering they  had  was,  here  and  there,  a  tattered  bit  of 
a  cotton  shirt,  with  the  sleeves  knotted  around  their 
loins,  leaving  their  tawny  backs  bare.  Their  arms  were 
pinioned  with  thongs  of  raw  hide,  well  up  above  the 
elbow  joint. 

It  seemed  to  me  an  age  before  the  irons  were  all  dis- 
engaged from  the  legs  of  these  poor  wretches ;  but 
meanwhile  one  of  the  old  women,  near  by,  was  occupied 
handing  round  the  crowd  a  deep  dish,  half  filled  with 
paper  cigars ;  and  to  add  to  the  obligation,  in  one  hand 


372  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 

she  held  a  lighted  machero,  which  she  placed  to  the  lips 
of  the  smokers.  I  never  saw  such  intense  satisfaction 
as  spread  over  the  ugly  faces  of  those  swarthy,  filthy 
Indios,  as  they  drew  in  long  breaths  of  the  grateful 
smoke,  and  then  ejected  it  in  volumes  from  the  nose  and 
mouth,  with  a  deep  "  oogh."  Many  of  them  smiled, 
too,  showing  their  teeth  like  the  sharp  fangs  of  a  blood- 
hound. 

Presently  the  drums  beat  a  long  roll ;  and  then,  with  a 
marching  tap,  the  battalion  advanced  in  two  columns, 
with  the  prisoners  slouching  along  between  them.  We 
presumed  that  there  was  to  be  a  flogging,  or  an  execu- 
tion, at  most ;  but  we  were  not  prepared  for  the  whole- 
sale massacre  we  presently  witnessed.  There  were 
scarcely  a  dozen  persons  besides  the  troops,  priests, 
women,  and  ourselves,  in  the  great  open  square ;  and 
we  sat  on  our  horses,  looking  with  extreme  wonder  and 
curiosity,  and  moving  a  little  ahead  of  the  procession. 

"  Halta  !  "  sung  out  the  adjutant,  with  a  wave  of 
his  sword ;  more  orders  followed  —  the  battalion  was 
formed  in  double  ranks  —  a  sergeant's  guard  stepped 
forward  a  few  yards  from  the  left,  while  the  prisoners 
stood  beside  the  padres.  The  drums  rolled ;  an  officer, 
with  a  paper  in  his  hand,  walked  towards  the  Indians, 
touched  the  seven  foremost  of  the  group  with  his  finger, 
and  motioning  those  selected  to  the  ridge,  they  shuffled 
to  the  designated  spot. 

"  Cuiflfac?o  .' "   yelled    out   the   adjutant  —  ^' cuidado, 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  373 

Ingleses  /  "  —  Look  out,  Englislimeii !  —  and  perceiving 
that  we  were  the  individuals  alluded  to,  and  that  we  were 
directly  in  the  line  of  fire,  we  at  once  leaped  the  dry 
ditch,  and  wheeled  to  the  rear  of  the  troops. 

By  this  time  the  victims  had  reached  the  raised  earth, 
and  there  stood  gazing  about,  while  the  padres  again 
chanted  a  prayer  and  scattered  holy  water  over  the 
group.  A  lieutenant,  from  the  company  from  where  the 
guard  had  been  taken,  threw  away  his  cigar,  drew  his 
sword,  and  gave  utterance  to  two  short  words. 

"Preparhjfuego  I  "  The  discharge  followed  the  order, 
and  when  the  smoke  cleared  away,  there  was  not  a  man 
standing  among  the  before  living  cluster  of  seven,  for 
the  balls  at  a  distance  of  twenty  feet  had  done  the  work 
pretty  essentially. 

A  thin  wreath  or  two  of  smoke,  either  from  the  paper 
cigars  or  burning  wads,  wandered  for  a  few  moments 
wavily  over  the  bodies,  and  a  few  dark  stains  and  streams 
fell,  dripping,  from  the  confused  mass  of  limbs  upon  the 
earth  beneath  them ;  but  there  was  not  a  quiver  nor  a 
groan  which  told  of  the  death  agony. 

Three  more  rolls  of  the  drums,  the  official  with  the 
paper  touched  seven  more  of  the  Indians,  who  took 
their  stand  a  little  on  one  side  of  their  fallen  comrades, 
with  the  same  stolid  air  of  utter  indifference,  and  suck- 
ing with  their  latest  breaths  the  ends  of  the  nearly  con- 
sumed cigarritos. 

"  Take  aim  —  fire  !  "  The  rolling  volley,  the  puif 
32 


3T4  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

of  smoke  and  dust,  the  muskets  brought  to  a  shoulder, 
the  men  wheeled,  another  platoon  forward,  and  so  on. 

This  evolution  was  performed  nine  times,  and  that, 
according  to  my  arithmetic,  makes  sixty-three  of  God's 
creatures  who  were  shot  down  before  our  eyes  in  cold 
blood  at  the  Retiro  of  Buenos  Ayres,  one  fine  morning 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1834. 

We  intended  to  have  continued  our  ride  to  the  sala- 
dores  beyond,  Avhere  bullocks  were  slaughtered  by  thou- 
sands for  their  hides  and  tallow  ;  but  we  had  seen  quite 
enough  blood  flow  for  one  morning,  and  so  we  came 
back  to  the  city  on  a  run,  with  a  very  small  appetite  for 
breakfast. 

That  same  day,  however,  our  officers  were  presented 
to  his  excellency,  the  benemerito  of  his  country,  Don 
Juan  Manuel  de  Rosas.  He  received  us  in  the  palace,  a 
large  barrack  of  a  place,  fenced  in  by  walls  like  a  for- 
tress, and  a  deep  dry  ditch  without.  We  were  ushered 
into  a  moderate  sized  apartment  with  very  meagre  furni- 
ture, and  chairs  being-  particularly  scarce,  I  seated  my- 
self on  a  brass-bound  trunk. 

Presently  a  side  door  opened,  and  in  came,  at  a  brisk 
pace,  a  short  and  rather  thick-set  man,  with  something 
of  a  German  face,  but  with  a  prominent  nose,  as  if  that 
organ  was  intended  to  breathe  through,  and  large  gray 
eyes.  He  was  dressed  in  a  blue  frock  coat,  with  stand- 
ing collar,  dark  pantaloons,  and  white  dressed  skin  shoes. 
There  was  a  wild  nervousness  about  his  manner  and  in 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARIXES.  375 

his  expression,  and  all  his  movements  were  quick  and 
decided.  In  conversation  he  was  shrewd,  blunt,  and 
attractive. 

"SeTiores,^^  he  said,  "  mira  !  "  taking  down  from  the 
wall  a  short  lance,  very  heavy,  and  armed  with  a  sharp 
double-edged  blade  — ''  mira  !  The  Indios  use  this 
weapon,  the  lasso,  and  the  bolas ;  those  balls  fastened  by 
thongs  of  hide  to  an  iron  ring.  You  remember  the  old 
song,  — 

"  De  mi  lasso  t'escapas, 
Pero  mi  dis  bolas, 
Quando  " 

Here  he  whirled  his  arm  on  high,  as  if  in  the  act  of 
throwing  the  balls. 

*'  They  hurl  them  at  my  cavalry,  trip  up  the  horses 
like  ostriches,  and  then  go  in  this  way." 

Here  he  suited  the  action  to  the  word,  and  dashing  at 
the  head  of  one  of  the  officers,  just  grazing  his  ear,  he 
plunged  the  lance  into  the  heavy  woodwork  of  the  door- 
way. ,% 

^'Ah,  no  hay  cuidado ;  never  fear,  my  friend,"  he 
said,  going  on ;  "  but  those  miserables  carried  on  this 
species  oijuego  for  two  campaigns,  and  now  I  am  train- 
ing a  squadron  of  horse  to  run  with  their  fore  and  hind 
legs  lashed  together  like  so  many  hares,  so  that  they 
can't  be  overturned  by  the  bolas,  and  I  shall  kill  all  the 
infernos  of  Indios." 

Kosas  told  us  also,  in  alluding  to  the  execution  of  the 


376  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

morning,  that  those  piisoners  had  risen  and  stabbed 
their  guard  on  the  voyage  down  the  river,  which  gave 
him  an  additional  incentive  for  sending  them  out  of  the 
workl. 

^^Vamonos"  he  said,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  inter- 
view ;  "  you  must  all  come  out  and  pass  a  week  at  the 
estancia,  and  Manuelita  will  be  glad  to  show  you  the 
pampas." 

I  must  admit,  notwithstanding  what  I  had  seen  of  his 
dictatorship  in  the  early  morning,  and  the  news  that 
came  later,  how  one  General  Quiroga  insisted  upon 
being  assassinated  in  his  own  carriage,  and  the  reward 
offered  for  the  murderers  by  his  rival,  Don  Juan,  that  I 
came  away  very  favorably  impressed  as  to  the  talents  of 
Rosas  for  ruling  the  ungovernable  subjects  of  the  prov- 
inces. 

Shortly  after  this  interview  the  invitation  to  his  coun- 
try seat  was  accepted,  and,  escorted  by  a  guard,  we  rode 
about  thirty  miles  over  the  level  country  to  the  quinta 
of  Bellavista.  # 

It  was  a  roughly  built  country  residence,  standing  on 
the  plain  within  sight  of  the  river,  with  broad,  spacious 
piazzas,  and  surrounded  by  mud  walls  and  picket  pens 
for  cattle  and  horses.  We  led  a  very  pleasant  life 
at  this  villa.  We  had  a  bullock  roasted  in  the  hide 
every  night,  which  they  called  ''  carne  con  cuero,'^  plenty 
of  dulces,  and,  what  was  better,  wine  that  flowed  like  a 
fountain.     Wine  !  ay,  such  wine  !  broke  forth  the  Lieu- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAEIIS'ES.  377 

tenant,  with  enthusiasm.     None  of  your  spurious  decoc- 
tions from  Cette  or  Marseilles,  compounded  of  hot,  fiery 
drugs,  sweet,  sour,  and  bitter   coarse   grape  husks,  but 
the  purest   of  Latour,  Lafitte,   and  Margaux,  that  had 
been  pressed  within  sight  of  the  sugar  loaf  turrets   of 
those  famous  chateaux.     E-osas  was  assuredly  a  real  gen- 
tleman in  his  taste  for  wine,  and  to  him  I  am  indebted 
for  implanting  the  savor  of  a  pure  grape  juice  on  my 
juvenile  palate,  which   half  a   century  won't    eradicate. 
Not  long  since,  when  I  chanced  to  halt  an  hour  in  the 
quaint  old  village  of  Margaux,  I  quaffed  a  brave  flagon 
to  Don   Juan,  wishing  "  muerto   a   los    Unitarios,^^   and 
health  and  prosperity  to  the  dictator.      He  has,  however, 
fallen  into  misfortune  since,  by  a  bad  run  of  luck,  and  has 
levanted  from  the  broad  pampas   of  his  guacho  home ; 
but  whithersoever  he  goes,  I  place  illimitable   trust  in 
his  lova  for  the  delicious  and  incomparable  tipple  of  Me- 
doc,  and  humbly  pray  that  his  cup  may  ever  be  brimming. 
Dona   Manuela,  too,  —  that   is,  when  we  were  both 
younger,  —  was  as  fine  a  looking  Creole  doncella  as  ever 
tripped  along  the  banks  of  the  La  Plata.     She  w^as,  at 
the  same  time,  a  devil  of  a  bird  on  horseback,  and  would 
have  been  just  the  girl  for  Galway  had  she  been  born 
west  of  Killarney.     She  took  malicious  delight  in   en- 
ticing venturesome  cavaliers  at  a  stunning  pace  over  the 
open   plains,  in  leaping   ditches,  winding  around  seem- 
ingly dry  bogs,  when,  without  any  warning,  you  were  up 
to  your  chin  in  mire,  and  other  dangerous  feats  of  horse- 
32* 


378  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

mansliip.  The  number  of  dislocated  shoulders  and  con- 
tused faces  that  girl  has  on  her  conscience  would  defy  [ 
belief,  and  when  half  a  dozen  attaches  to  the  foreign  le- 
gations or  clumsy  sailor  officers  were  following  close  at  j 
her  heels,  she  would  give  her  stallion  a  shake  of  the  I 
rein  and  a  touch  with  the  steel,  and  away  she  would 
vault  like  a  rocket  over  a  gaping  ravine,  while  her  at-  ■ 
tendants  would  come  tumbling  after.  Then  Manuela 
would  console  herself  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  by 
sucking  panties  and  water,  and  expressing  her  opinion 
of  the  Indians  and  those  villains  of  Unitarians. 

She,  too,  I  believe,  has  followed  the  fortunes  of  her 
sire  into  exile  ;  but  in  case  any  timid  young  gentleman 
should  not  admire  her  skill  in  horsemanship  in  the  ring 
in  Hyde  Park,  or  a  quiet  canter  up  Constitution  Hill, 
let  him  breathe  her  wild  stallion  in  a  broken  country, 
over  hedges,  ditches,  and  stone  walls,  and  see  who  will 
come  off  best. 

After  staying  a  week  at  Eosas'  pampa  paradise,  I  felt 
a  strong  inclination  to  cut  the  anchor  buttons  from  my 
jacket  and  turn  guacho ;  then,  with  a  lasso,  enormous 
spurs,  a  small  triangular  stirrup,  a  whip  like  a  bludgeon, 
with  a  heavy  brass  hammer  at  the  handle,  a  soft  saddle 
of  skins  and  leather,  a  poncho  for  covering,  a  striped 
belcher  around  my  head,  and  a  knife  in  my  girdle,  to 
pass  the  remainder  of  my  days  on  those  interminable 
plains,  eating  beef  without  salt,  and  living  amid  the 
bullocks  and  horses. 


TALES   FOR   THE    MARINES.  379 

Our  chief  amusements  were  in  riding  around  the 
estancia  or  over  the  pampas,  observing  the  process  of 
training  the  uncouth,  fierce-lool^ing  soldiers  of  the  gov- 
ernor, or  breaking  the  wild  horses  for  the  saddle.  This 
last  was  the  more  exciting  sport  of  the  two.  These 
wild  animals  were  taken  indiscriminately  from  droves 
of  tens  of  thousands,  and  driven  into  square  enclosures, 
or  corrals,  made  by  planting  close  fences  of  stout  pick- 
ets upright  in  the  ground.  They  were  beautiful  crea 
tures,  full  of  fire,  with  flowing  manes,  bushy  tails,  and 
eyes  which  blazed  like  congreve  rockets. 

They  were  in  the  first  instance  lassoed,  thrown  down, 
and  branded  with  the  cipher  of  the  owner.  The  heavy 
wrought  Spanish  bit  was  then  forced  into  the  mouth, 
strong  enough,  by  the  twitch  of  a  baby's  finger,  to 
wrench  the  jaw  of  the  brute  to  splinters.  This,  with  a 
li"^ht,  twisted  rein  of  raw  hide,  hitched  to  a  broad,  net- 
work,  hide  surcingle,  so  that  the  rider  could  fasten  the 
rowels  of  his  spurs  into  the  meshes  around  the  horse's 
belly,  and  then  the  startled  animals  would  be  cast  loose, 
and  allowed  to  regain  their  feet. 

On  either  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  enclosures  were 
upright  posts,  on  which  were  perched  a  brace  of  savage- 
looking  guachos,  their  leggings  fitted  from  the  warm 
skin  of  the  hind  legs  of  a  horse,  their  heels  armed  with 
the  enormous  rowels  to  the  spurs  used  in  the  country, 
a  striped  bandanna  tied  around  their  brows,  the  ends 
hanging  down  on  either  side  of  the  face,  to  fan  away 


380  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

the  insects,  a  broad  leathern  belt,  with  a  long,  narrow 
knife,  and,  of  course,  a  pack  of  cards. 

No  sooner  is  the  barrier  of  hide  rope  let  fall  from  the 
gateway  to  the  corral,  than  the  horses,  wild  with  rage, 
make  a  bolt  through.  There  is  nothing  to  check  their 
progress,  but  at  the  moment  of  leaping  past  the  picket, 
an  agile  guacho  quietly  drops  on  the  astonished  animal's 
back,  and  then  the  fun  begins. 

You  have  heard,  perhaps,  that  these  men  of  the 
pampas  actually  live  on  horseback.  They  are  taught  to 
ride  by  instinct  ;  and  from  infancy  the  horse  is  their 
house  and  home.  They  beg  on  horseback,  they  carry 
milk  on  horseback,  and  they  acquire  the  most  wonder- 
ful dexterity  in  the  use  of  the  lasso  and  bolas  on  horse- 
back. As  horses  are  to  be  had  almost  for  the  trouble 
of  catching  them,  they  are  treated  with  extreme  cruelty  ; 
and  though  of  great  endurance,  they  can  hardly  stand 
the  ill  usage  they  are  forced  to  undergo  for  more  than 
three  months. 

But  to  the  horse  tamers.  They  are  borne  at  the  first 
go  off  like  a  shot  from  a  cannon.  The  enraged  and 
astonished  beast,  plunging,  rearing,  snorting,  flies 
over  the  plain  quite  frantic,  until,  after  a  couple  of 
hours'  struggling,  urged  at  all  times  by  the  spur,  he 
begins  to  give  heed  to  the  bit ;  and  at  the  end  of  four 
hours,  if  his  breaker  be  skilful,  he  is  made  to  bound  off 
at  a  run,  and  is  brought  up  all  standing  on  a  bullock's 
hide  laid  upon  the  ground. 


TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES.  381 

We  left    the    governor's    hospitalities   with    extreme 

regret :  but  the  oraveties  of  the  citv  soon  alleviated  our 

orrow,  and  we  navy  blues  went  on  for  a  month  or  two 

rv  swimminsjlv  with  the  fair  Creoles,  who  were  as 
.^velv  specimens  of  Spanish  colonial  beauty  as  a  sharp- 
sighted  gentleman  could  any  where  detect. 

One  memorable  evening  I  was  dancing  at  a  brilliant 
little  tertulia  in  the  house  of  a  Hidalgo  matron  —  Doiia 
Elena  Sangre-Azul.  I  had  a  nice  young  damsel  for  a 
partner  in  the  monionero.  It  was  my  turn  to  perform  a 
small  demi-pirouette  to  the  clicking  of  the  castanets, 
and  then,  according  to  rule,  rush  up  to  my  companion, 
and  spin  round  in  the  waltz.  Now,  I  was  considered 
somewhat  of  an  adept  at  this  tour-de-force,  and  the 
grace  I  displayed  invariably  elicited  a  gentle  clap  of 
applause,  and  a  rustle  of  fans  from  the  sedate  old  ladies 
rano-ed  around  the  walls  of  the  saloon.  "Well,  at  the 
moment  of  performing  this  astonishing  feat,  happening 
to  cast  my  eyes  towards  the  folding  doors,  whom  should 
I  see  but  Antonietta ! 

Yes,  there  entered  the  young  beauty,  di-essed  in  a 
little  blue  striped  silk,  with  flounces  of  deep  black 
point  lace,  showing  her  slim,  well-shaped,  satin-cased 
feet,  her  soft,  roundly-turned  fingers  just  peeping  from 
black  net  mits,  her  lovely  arms  bare  to  the  shoulder, 
with  a  full,  swelling  neck  tapering  up  to  the  pure,  round 
throat,  which  upheld  the  graceful  head,  as  if  on  the 
stem   of   a  lily.      Ay!   de   mi!  and  those  liquid,  sloe 


S82  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

eyes,  tlie  half-closed  mouth,  the  teeth  like  a  mouse's, 
the  merest  tinge  of  olive  in  her  cheeks,  as  the  rich  blood 
*'  went  and  came,  with  tidings  from  the  heart ; "  and 
then  the  great  cluster  of  hair,  banded  and  twisted  in 
thick  folds  around  the  brow,  and  knotted  and  confined 
behind  by  one  of  the  monstrous  shell  combs  then  worn. 
Heavens !  how  beautiful  she  looked !  I  even  felt  an 
acute  pang  that  she  was  so  charming,  having,  perhaps, 
a  faint  perception  that  there  might  be  others  of  the  same 
opinion,  and  I  might  not  possibly  have  her  all  to  my- 
self. She  had  grown  to  be  quite  a  woman  in  the  two 
years  which  had  nearly  passed  since  we  parted,  and 
there  was  an  air,  too,  of  quiet,  studied  dignity,  which  I 
did  not  altogether  like. 

She  raised  her  arm,  on  crossing  the  threshold,  after  a 
stately  little  courtesy  to  Dona  Elena,  to  remove  the  gos- 
samer veil  which  fell  partly  down  over  her  shoulders, 
and  then  cast  a  low,  drooping,  furtive  glance  around  the 
saloon.  Leaving  my  bewildered  partner  to  make  the 
most  of  the  montonero,  I  sprang  forward  to  Antonietta. 

She  was  attended  by  a  stumpy  young  native,  not  dis- 
similar in  animal  structure  to  her  fat,  sweet  potato  ad- 
mirer at  Pinchao.  This  fellow,  however,  had  more 
pretensions  to  taste  in  raiment,  for  he  was  very  gau- 
dily attired  in  a  pair  of  dazzling  pumps,  red  silk  stock- 
ings, a  pair  of  plaid  trousers,  cut  rather  short,  and 
bagging  considerably  behind.  Above,  he  wore  a  white 
waistcoat,  about  four  inches  long,  with  turquoise  but- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  383 

tons,  diamond  studs  on  his  embroidered  bosom,  and  a 
maroon  colored  coat,  very  peaked  about  tbe  tails,  and 
remarkably  disproportloned  about  tbe  collar.  He  "sras 
one  of  those  forced,  hothouse,  precocious  Spanish  plants 
you  meet  in  the  tropics,  scarcely  out  of  the  nursery,  but 
with  a  shock  of  coarse  black  hair,  heavy  eyebrows,  and 
the  faintest  possible  approach  to  a  moustache.  I  after- 
wards heard  that  he  was  heir  to  more  cattle,  horses, 
and  pesos  than  you  could  count  in  a  year. 

However,  I  didn't  notice  him  particularly  at  first ; 
but  pushing  rather  rudely  by  him,  and  nearly  upsetting 
one  of  those  old  Creole  duennas  who  always  attend  the 
girls,  principally,  I  believe,  to  sniff  snuff  and  suck 
paneles,  and  regardless  of  the  company,  I  was  on  the 
point  of  throwing  my  arms  around  my  true  love,  claim- 
ing her  as  my  own,  in  presence  of  the  multitude,  and 
declaring  that  not  even  death  should  tear  us  asunder. 

Antonietta,  however,  was  not  apparently  in  the  least 
disturbed,  but  almost  imperceptibly  repressing  my  ardent 
advances,  she  put  out  her  hand  in  the  sweetest  state  of 
surprise  you  ever  saw,  and  said,  in  her  pure,  lisping 
accent,  — 

''Ah,  Jesus  !  Don  Enrique  !  Me  alegro  muchissimo 
to  see  you.  How  long  it  seems  !  And  Pancha,  and  the 
Dona  and  Padron  —  how  did  you  leave  them  all  ?  That 
comical  Captain  Flirt,  of  the  Hazy,  too,"  she  said,  call- 
ing Jack  by  the  name  of  his  brig.     "  Really,  how  un- 


384  TALES    FOR  THE   MARINES. 

kind  of  you  not  to  come  and  see  us.  Papa  mIU  be 
alegre,  I  am  sure,  and  so  will  mamma  and  the  iiinas.'" 

'' Q^uerida  'Tonietta  !  "  I  exclaimed;  "I  haven't 
breath  to  answer  all  your  questions  here ;  but  come  and 
sit  beside  me  somewhere,  away  from  these  hateful  peo- 
ple, and  let  me  talk  to  you  all  the  evening." 

'^Ah !  que  triste,  amigo !  I  am  engaged  to  dance  a 
minuet  and  the  contra-danga  with  my  cousin  here,"  she 
whispered,  with  so  tearful  a  glance  that  I  thought  her 
heart  M'ould  break  in  three  pieces ;  "  let  me  introduce 
you,  Don  Castanos  Gordito." 

I  bowed,  and  the  individual  immediately  lugged  out 
a  richly-chased  gold  case,  and  offered  me  a  cigarrito. 

Meanwhile,  before  I  could  turn  round,  half  a  score 
of  dandies  and  elegant  young  fashionables  had  com- 
pletely outflanked  me,  surrounded  the  pretty  Creole,  and 
showered  upon  her  more  compliments,  sweet  nothings, 
and  pretty  speeches  than  I  could  have  thought  of  in  a 
week.  In  fact,  during  the  whole  tertulia  I  never  got 
another  chance  of  exchanging  a  word  with  her  ;  and 
when  the  party  broke  up,  the  little  brute  Don  Gordito 
was  so  assiduous  that  I  could  not  even  spread  the  man- 
tilla over  her  shoulders,  which  I  looked  upon  as  my 
peculiar  office  and  prerogative. 

However,  the  good  little  nigger  Jilla,  who  stood  by 
with  an  extra  shawl,  was  overjoyed  to  see  me,  and 
pron:ised  to  tell  her  mistress  that  I  should  come  in  the 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  385 

morning  to  deliver  those  precious  presents  in  person  —  I 
mean  the  fan  and  the  earrins^s. 

^'  Buenas-noches,  Antonietta,^*  I  whispered,  as  she 
passed  out  of  the  court  yard  linked  to  her  cousin's  arm. 
"  Adios,  Enrique  !  come  and  see  us  before  you  sail. 
Calle  Merced,  number  48." 

I  don't  know  w^hat  excuses  I  made  to  myself  for  this 
decidedly  cold  treatment  on  the  part  of  the  girl ;  but 
lovers,  jealous  though  they  be,  are  forever  disposed  to 
forgive,  and  I  attributed  her  manner  to  the  constraint 
imposed  upon  her  by  the  presence  of  strangers,  and 
never  dreamed  it  was  caused  by  a  want  of  affection 
for  me. 

Tlie  next  day  I  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  the  man- 
sion of  her  family,  as  it  was  in  the  best  street,  and  one 
of  the  finest  houses  in  the  city.  Entering  the  paiio, 
I  announced  my  purpose,  and  was  shown  up  a  stairway 
to  the  azotea,  (the  flat  roof  of  the  building,)  paved  with 
China  tiles,  and  enclosed  by  a  solid  marble  balustrade 
on  all  sides.  An  awning  was  spread,  and  from  lines 
beneath  were  growing  large  bunches  of  air  plants,  all  in 
brilliant  flower. 

At  the  upper  "end  of  the  azotea,  near  by  a  loopholed 
angle  of  the  balustrade,  which  commanded  a  view  up 
axxd  down  two  streets,  sat  Antonietta.  Jilla  was  sprawl- 
ing about  a  carpet  at  her  feet,  pasting  and  fringing  paper 
on  frames  for  kites,  while  her  mistress  was  busy  peeping 
through  the  apertures  of  the  wall.  She  looked  even 
3^ 


386  TALE3    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

more  lovable  than  the  night  previous  in  her  half  ball 
dress.  Now,  she  had  on  a  loose  white  muslin  wrapper, 
with  a  dark  shawl  carelessly  thrown  over  her  head  and 
folded  over  her  bosom,  while  a  little,  short,  brown  silk, 
quilted  petticoat  fell  below  for  a  skirt,  but  did  not  hide 
her  prettily  turned  ankles  and  adorable  little  feet.  She 
was  more  cordial,  too,  in  her  manner,  and  after  welcoming 
and  making  room  for  me  on  the  cushion  beside  her,  she 
received  my  little  presents  of  the  beautiful  fan  and  the 
sparkling  eardrops,  with  beaming  rapture. 

"  I  declare,  Enrique,"  she  said  in  her  soft  English 
accent,  "  I  never  saw  any  thing  so  handsome  as  these 
rings,  with  this  mite  of  blue  enamel  in  the  centre ;  they 
will  match  to  a  charm  the  brooch  Castanos  gave  me."  I 
suppose  I  looked  troubled,  for  she  went  on  —  "  And  this 
exquisitely  painted  fi\n  —  caramba  !  Manuelita  Kosas 
and  Carolina  Garcia  have  theirs  from  Paris,  but  they 
don't  compare  with  this.  Really,  Enrique,  querido,  you 
deserve  a  kiss  !  There,  one  will  do.  Don't,  or  you  will 
disorder  my  hair,  which  has  been  arranged  for  puffs 
and  a  sombrero,  for  a  ride  this  afternoon  with  my 
cousin." 

This  concluding  piece  of  intelligence  almost  took 
aAvay  the  pleasure  of  the  innocent  endearments  she  had 
just  granted ;  but  presently  I  recovered  my  spirits  again, 
and  sat  and  chatted  over  all  my  adventures  since  we  had 
parted.  ISTotwithstanding,  however,  all  my  address,  I 
could  not  induce  her  to  open  her  lips  upon  the  topic 


TALES  FOR  THE  MARINES.  387 

nearest  my  heart ;  for  whenever  I  ventured  to  allude  to 
the  "affections,"  she  would  suddenly  divert  the  subject 
by  a  word  to  Jilla  about  the  kites,  or  a  sly  glance  out  of 
the  loopholes. 

At  the  same  time  1  cherished  the  fond  hope  of  being 
joined  in  holy  wedlock,  at  the  cathedral,  by  the  arch- 
bishop as  soon  as  ever  he  was  at  leisure,  and  then 
apprise  my  mother  and  grandfather  of  the  ceremony 
after  it  was  over.  I  pictured,  also,  the  delight  they 
would  evince  to  see  my  lovely  bride  dance  all  night,  go 
to  mass  at  daylight,  and  then  pass  the  day  in  sleep  and 
tinkling  the  guitar,  instead  of  the  humdrum  life  of  a 
plantation,  in  arranging  the  dairy,  visiting  the  sick, 
making  bread,  or  mending  shirts. 

I  was  aroused  from  this  revery  by  Antonietta  turning 
with  some  trepidation  from  her  lookout  station,  and  say- 
ing, "  There,  Enrique,  I  see  the  children  coming  from 
school ;  so  you  must  go  ;  or  perhaps  you  would  like  to 
stay  and  take  a  podrida  with  them." 

"  Thank  you,  senorita ;  I  am  not  hungry,  and  I  don't 
dine  at  the  Fonda  until  six  o'clock." 

You  see  I  felt  rather  hurt  at  this  speech,  and  though 
I  was  tolerably  small  for  my  age,  I  was,  nevertheless,  an 
officer  —  wore  a  dirk,  steered  boats,  ran  of  errands  about 
the  ship,  dined  with  captains  occasionally,  and  was 
ready  on  the  slightest  provocation  to  fight  a  duel ;  and  so 
to  be  asked  to  eat  luncheon  in  a  nursery  of  brats  at  noon- 
day was  really  too  bad. 


388  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

However,  I  smothered  my  indignation,  and  took  leave  ; 
but  my  temper  was  by  no  means  improved  by  meeting 
Don  Castanos  Gordito  at  the  gateway,  limping  along  in 
tight  boots,  but  looking  as  conceited  as  a  cockatoo.  It 
crossed  my  mind,  afterwards,  that  he  was  "  the  children  " 
Antonietta  had  discovered  coming  from  school. 

The  following  evening  I  made  another  visit ;  but  I 
barely  had  time  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  old  people  in 
the  saloon,  when  in  tripped  Antonietta  elegantly  dressed 
for  a  grand  ball  at  the  palace,  and  attended,  as  before,  by 
the  stumpy  cousin.  My  diamonds  were  twinkling  in 
the  lobes  of  her  patrician  ears,  and  my  fan  was  flutter- 
ing in  her  ivory  fingers  ;  but  still  I  felt  discontented  and 
unhappy.  She  was  of  course  very  much  distressed  to 
be  obliged  to  leave  me ;  but  then  her  family  were  just 
making  friends  with  the  governor,  and  she  must  go ;  but 
papa  and  mamma  would  make  my  time  pass  agreea- 
bly, and  she  whispered,  as  I  buttoned  her  glove,  "  I 
shall  think  of  you  a  great  deal,  Enrique."  To  do  the 
old  people  justice,  they  were  extremely  kind;  and  then 
the  children  took  a  fancy  to  me  —  so  we  had  a  romp,  a 
series  of  minuets,  and  the  gavotte ;  but  after  all,  I  left 
the  house  rather  low  in  spirits. 

On  passing  the  gateway,  I  found  Jilla  alone,  waiting, 
perhaps,  for  some  gentle  swain  of  her  own  color.  Feel- 
ing a  sort  of  affection  for  the  black  bit  of  humanity,  I 
gave  her  a  dollar,  and  desired  her  to  let  me  know  in  the 
morning  when  her  mistress  would  be  visible. 


TALES    FOU   THE   MARINES.  389 

"  Hola,  senor !  she  goes  to-morro'vr  early  to  the  quinta 
of  Don  Castafios's  mother  at  La  Flor." 

"  But  who  the  devil  is  this  Senor  Gordito,  Jilla  ?  " 

The  little  imp  looked  inquiringly  in  my  face  for  an 
instant ;  and  then,  with  a  touch  of  real  sympathy,  in  a 
hesitating  voice  she  murmured,  "  El  senor  que  la  senorita 
va  casar.^^ 

"  What,  to  be  married  to  that  wretch  !  Xo  —  mentira  ! 
it's  a  lie." 

*' Si,  si!  seTiorl  all  true,"  said  Jilla  earnestly,  and 
crying  as  much  for  compassion  for  me,  as  for  the  tight 
grip  I  had  of  her  arm.  "  And  she  leaves  the  city  to- 
morrow, eh?"     "Yes,  Don  Enrique,  at  daylight." 

I  rushed  home  in  a  state  of  semi-distraction  between 
love  and  revenge.  The  first  rational  thing  I  did  was  to 
implore  Miss  Biddy  to  get  up  and  listen  to  my  wrongs. 
I  had  also  a  bottle  of  brown  stout  and  some  biscuits,  for 
I  required  stimulus  to  keep  me  from  committing  suicide, 
and  in  those  days  I  had  never  tasted  strong  drink. 

I  am  persuaded  that  Biddy  listened  to  my  griefs  with 
as  much  equanimity  and  attention  as  any  philosopher 
of  ancient  or  modern  times  ever  did  to  the  distresses  of 
another  ;  but  as  she  was  the  confidante  in  general  of  all 
the  young  reefers  who  lived  at  the  Fonda,  it  was  not  to 
be  wondered  at. 

"  Caramba !  "  she  exclaimed,  after  patiently  hearing 
my  story  ;  "  but  why  didn't  you  tell  me  the  name  of  her 
father  in  the  beginning  ?  and  I  could  have  told  you  the 
33*  ^ 


390  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 

daughter  has  been  affianced  these  four  months.  It's 
an  old  story.  There,  don't  take  on  so  ;  you'll  find  lots 
of  lovely  girls  left  in  Buenos  Ayres." 

I  cried  like  a  patent  hydraulic  chain  pump,  and  my 
gentle  little  companion  soothed  and  consoled  me  all  she 
could ;  but  being  sleepy,  she  said  she  must  bid  me  good 
night.  I  remember  my  last  words  to  Biddy  were,  as 
she  was  about  to  light  her  candle,  "O,  dear,  Biddy,  I'm 
so  sorry  that  I  didn't  give  you  the  fan  and  the  eardrops 
instead " 

Here  the  matron,  who  had  remained  a  tolerably 
inattentive  listener  to  the  Lieutenant's  narrative,  ob- 
served, — 

"  Well,  I  don't  clearly  understand  what  right  you 
had  to  make  away  with  all  that  property ;  and  if  that 
little  Creole  minx  had  been  a  girl  of  spirit  she'd  have 
refused  the  trinkets." 

The  Lieutenant  bowed,  dropped  his  off  eyelid  in  a 
winkish  manner,  took  a  dry  puff  or  two  at  his  cheroot, 
gave  a  deep  sigh,  and  resumed. 

I  drank  any  quantity  of  porter,  and  it  was  potent ;  but 
I  could  not  sleep,  and  the  day  had  scarcely  broke,  in  a 
tremendous  rain  too,  when  I  wended  my  way  through 
the  puddles  of  the  deserted  streets  to  La  Merced.  I 
was  not  a  whit  too  early,  however ;  for  before  the  well- 
known  house  stood  a  queer  old  vehicle,  with  rough 
wheels  picked  out  with  red,  and  a  pair  of  oxen  yoked 
to   the   pole.      The    servants   were    busy   loading    this 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  391 

structure  with  trunks,  boxes,  and  cushions,  while  be- 
neath the  huge  axles  swung  several  sacks  of  grain,  and 
some  cooking  utensils.  I  knew  what  it  all  portended 
at  a  glance,  and  fearful  of  being  too  late,  I  ran  into  the 
patio. 

I  can't  imagine  what  object  I  had  in  view  in  invading 
the  house  at  that  unreasonable  hour,  but  I  must  have 
entertained  the  notion  of  attendinsj  Antonietta  on  her 
journey.  A  couple  of  horses,  richly  caparisoned  for  a 
lady  and  cavalier,  with  bridles  of  heavily-twisted  silver, 
embroidered  saddle  cloths,  and  silver  stirrups,  stood 
champing  their  bits  beneath  the  shelter  of  the  arched 
gateway;  and  just  beyond  stood  the  large  duenna  and 
Jilla,  ready,  apparently,  to  be  packed  away  with  the 
cushions  of  the  coach.  At  the  same  instant  out  stepped 
Antonietta  dressed  for  the  road.  An  oiled  silk  sombrero 
was  placed  jantily  over  her  jetty  tresses,  a  thick  green 
veil  was  wound  round  the  steeple  crown  and  fastened  by 
a  silver  cord,  a  gay  poncho  hung  on  her  shoulders,  while 
with  one  hand  she  held  up  her  riding  habit,  and  with 
the  other  grasped  an  elegantly-mounted  whip,  the  long, 
white  lash  wound  around  her  arm. 

I  came  upon  her  so  like  an  apparition  that  she  started 
back  in  great  affright,  and  Don  Castanos  being  close  at 
her  heels,  she  capsized  him,  and  he  rolled  like  a  ten-pin 
off  the  steps.  Antonietta,  with  an  exclamation  of  pity, 
turned  immediately  to  assist  the  youth  on  his  legs  once 
more,  and  this  devotion  to  my  rival  made  the  cup  of  my 
misery  flow  over. 


392  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

"  O  coqueia  !  ingrata !  "  I  ground  out  between  my 
teeth  ;  "  actios  por  siempre  /  "  —  farewell  forever ! 

Hereupon  I  gave  cousin  Gordito,  who  was  scrambling 
to  his  pins,  a  kick  and  a  push  on  his  base,  which  tum- 
bled him  over  into  the  algibe  of  water  in  the  patio, 
which  had  been  left  open  to  catch  the  rain.  Without 
deigning  a  look  at  my  false  mistress,  and  leaving  my  ri- 
val to  flounder  about  in  the  cistern,  I  rushed  out  into 
the  street.  What  was  his  fate,  or  what  deterred  me 
from  sticking  my  dirk  into  the  bag  of  his  trousers  be- 
hind, I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  conceive. 

As  for  that  creole  flirt,  Antonietta,  I  never  saw  her 
for  years  afterwards,  and  then  she  was  a  maiden  still. 
If  her  poor  lover  was  not  drowned,  of  course  she  jilted 
him,  as  she  did  me  ;  and  no  doubt  did  a  score  more  with 
us.  At  the  same  time  her  little  sisters  had  grown  up, 
married,  and  had  lots  of  wee  ninas  themselves ;  but  I 
cannot  express  to  you  in  narrative,  ladies,  the  thrills  of 
pleasure  which  filled  my  adamantine  bosom  on  meeting 
Antonietta  again.  She  had  dwindled  away  veiy  sharp 
in  figure.  Her  teeth  were  not  so  white  and  pearly  as 
of  yore.  Her  satin  tresses  had  lost  their  gloss,  and  were 
very  much  gummed,  —  a  practice  which  I  detest,  — 
and  her  complexion  and  voice  were  cracked  like  old 
china.  It  gave  me  a  wonderful  deal  of  malicious  satis- 
faction, I  assure  you,  to  behold  her. 

Thus,  Fred,  continued  the  narrator,  ended  my  first 
grand  passion ;  and  though  I  moped  for  a  while,  devot- 


TALE 3    FOR   THE   MARINES.  393 

ed  myself  to  Biddy,  books,  and  porter ;  and  as  a  boy  in 
his  teens  will  do,  I  forswore  the  cruel  sex  bitterly.  It 
had,  however,  a  salutary  effect  upon  me  ;  for  I  was  enabled 
to  preserve  my  bruised  heart  intact  until  latterly,  when 
I  had  the  good  fortune  to  fall  in  love  with  that  lady  with 
the  blue  eyes  sitting  at  the  table  there. 

The  Lieutenant  drew  a  long  breath,  and  was  about  to 
resume  his  discourse,  when  so  merry  a  shout  of  laughter 
rang  out  from  the  lips  of  his  fair  audience,  that  he  con- 
cluded it  would  be  unsafe  to  continue  his  narrative  on 
that  occasion. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

With  my  crushed  hopes  and  a  fair  breeze,  resumed 
the  Lieutenant,  Monsieur  PoLirbitz  again  took  the  Juni- 
ata under  his  pilotage,  and  "svith  the  shght  accident  of 
running  us  aground  on  the  tail  of  the  Ortiz  bank,  for 
which  Captain  Percy  actually  sent  for  his  pistols  to  perfo- 
rate the  body  of  his  friend  Powdcrbitch,  we  fortunately 
reached  Maldonado.  It  was  a  small  place  where  seals 
resort  in  great  numbers ;  but  since  there  were  no  human 
beings  to  be  found,  we  enticed  a  few  bullocks  on  board, 
and  taking  in,  also,  a  quantity  of  ostrich  eggs,  turned 
our  heels  for  the  last  time  on  the  muddv  banks  of  the 
Plata. 

We  caught,  as  usual,  a  cracking  breeze  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  which  blew  the  corvette,  with  a  white  bone 
under  her  bows,  until  we  entered  the  tropic,  when,  after 
dallying  off  Cape  Frio  for  a  day  or  two,  the  south-east 
trades  came  to  our  aid,  and  sailing  on  eight  hundred 
miles  farther,  we  anchored  in  the  glorious  Bay  of  San 
Salvador. 

I  can  give  you  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  beauties  of  this 
place.  Imagine  a  low,  sandy  point,  projecting  like  an 
elbow  into  the  sea,  which  presently  rises  as  it  falls  back 

(394) 


TALES   FOR    THE    MARINES.  395 

and  curves  inland  ;  while  on  tlie  lofty  heights  there 
gleams  magnificent  tropical  vegetation  —  timber  and  foli- 
age bending  and  drooping  all  fresh,  green,  and  bright 
around  the  white  or  straw-colored  villas  of  the  suburb 
of  the  Vittoria.  Following  the  curve  is  the  upper  town, 
Bahia,  with  its  white  houses,  cathedral,  towers,  churches, 
and  convents,  pleasantly  relieving  the  eye  along  the  hori- 
zon ;  while  still  beyond,  the  picture  is  filled  in  with  the 
richest  verdure,  tapering  away  down  and  fringing  the 
point  of  Bom  Fin. 

Again  returning  along  the  shore,  the  eye  wanders  over 
the  lower  town,  standing  on  the  bay  beneath  the  steep 
banks,  with  the  shipping  in  front,  shadowed  in  the  clear, 
transparent  depths  of  the  harbor.  Opposite  to  the  south, 
the  gulf  is  of  great  expanse,  but  the  land  is  low,  flat, 
and  uninteresting. 

As  Ave  came  whistling  into  the  bay,  the  whole  harbor 
was  alive  with  canoes,  and  a  large  species  of  whale  boat. 
These  boats  were  sharp  at  both  ends,  intended  to  sail  in 
either  direction,  simply  by  dipping  their  lug  sails.  The 
canoes,  as  graceful  structures,  in  the  small  way,  as  ever 
floated,  were  long  and  sharp,  with  three  or  four  masts  each, 
and  the  sweetest  cut  lateen  sails,  having  a  rope  pennant 
with  an  eye  at  the  end,  for  the  negroes  to  sit  in.  There, 
by  placing  their  feet  against  the  gunwale  or  side,  and 
swinoinsr  themselves  well  over  the  water,  they  were  ena- 
bled  to  keep  an  upright  keel  to  the  canoes,  blow  as  it 
would.     They  count  the  force  of  the  wind  by  every  man 


396  TALES    FOR    THE    MAlllNES. 

suspended  in  this  way.  Thus  a  two,  three,  and  even  a 
five-man  breeze  is  not  uncommon,  while  the  slim  craft 
are  leaping  like  dolphins  over  the  bay. 

On  the  occasion  of  our  visit  the  whaling  season  was 
at  its  height,  and  the  boats  were  in  full  chase  after  a 
school  that  had  come  into  the  harbor  on  a  frolic.  One 
of  the  monsters,  however,  being  too  hard  pressed,  and 
anxious  to  avoid  his  pursuers,  whose  sharp  harpoons  and 
long  lances  approached  every  instant  nearer  to  his  fins, 
made  a  quick  turn,  and  leaping  athwart  the  Juniata's 
hawse  just  as  the  chain  was  running  out,  brought  the  ship 
up  with  so  heavy  a  jar  as  to  snap  the  cable  like  a  pipe 
stem.  We  thought  we  had  got  foul  of  an  earthquake. 
It  was  not  many  minutes,  however,  before  the  leviathan, 
somewhat  bewildered,  no  doubt,  in  his  turn,  by  the  col- 
lision, was  spurting  high  in  the  air  the  crimson  fountain 
of  his  life  blood,  from  the  deep  thrusts  of  his  enemies. 

The  day  subsequent  to  our  arrival  we  were  invited  to 
a  wedding  and  picnic  at  a  villa  in  the  Vittoria ;  and,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  all  who  could  went.  We  landed  at 
the  lower  town,  where  the  blacks  were  far  plentier  than 
I  ever  saw  blackberries.  They  were  great  stalwart  per- 
sons, with  sharp-pointed  teeth,  which  they  kept  white 
and  polished  by  chewing  and  rubbing  them  with  soft, 
mucilaginous  sticks.  They  were  all  nearly  naked,  but 
the  women  wore  enormous  fiat  straw  hats,  the  size  of 
umbrellas.  The  odor  and  jabbering  were  positively 
overpowering. 


TALES    FOPw    THE    MAPvINES.  397 

We  were  soon  provided  with  caderas,  or  palanquins, 
and  safely  carried  up  the  steep  hill  —  all,  save  the  chap- 
lain, a  very  heavy  customer,  who  broke  entirely  throu'^h 
his  vehicle  at  the  outset.  These  caderas  are  carried 
obliquely,  slung  at  the  top  by  one  pole,  which  rests 
on  the  brawny  shoulders  of  the  negroes.  With  a 
low,  grunting  chorus,  our  bearers  trotted  on;  their 
shining  ebony  skins  as  dry  as  tinder,  while  the  heat  of 
the  morning  sun  was  frightful.  In  an  hour  we  found 
ourselves  in  the  shaded  roads  of  the  Yittoria,  the  lofty, 
close  foliage  waving  its  graceful  arms  overhead,  shutting 
out  the  gairish  light  of  the  sun,  while  the  cool  breeze, 
from  the  sea  beyond,  rustled  delightfully  past  us. 

The  gentleman  to  whose  house,  or  rather  palace,  we 
were  asked,  was  considered  one  of  the  millionnaires 
of  the  empire.  He  had  a  stud  of  horses  equal  to  a 
crown  prince,  vehicles  without  number,  grounds  laid  out 
with  exceeding  taste,  spouting  with  fountains  and  bub- 
bling with  streams  and  tanks  ;  while  along  the  verge 
of  the  lofty  banks,  overlooking  the  bay,  was  a  forest  of 
thriving,  noble  timber  and  fruit  trees.  These  were 
trained  in  arbors,  singularly  shaped  domes  and  arches, 
and  laced  and  twined  with  the  brilliant  parasitical  plants 
and  vines  of  the  country.  The  house  was  of  the  Italian 
order,  of  two  stories,  with  lofty  saloons,  corridors,  and 
spacious  verandaed  piazzas,  all  gayly  frescoed,  and 
made  dark  and  cool  by  close,  green  Venetian  bHnds. 

Dom  Martin  Pereira,  the  proprietor  of  this  tropical 
<^  i 


398  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

paradise,  was  said  to  have  amassed  his  fortune  by  deal- 
ing extensively  in  Guineas  ;  in  other  words,  doing  a 
heavy  business  in  slaves,  in  the  Bight  of  Benin  and  parts 
adjacent.  He  was  well  satisfied,  it  was  hinted,  if  one 
out  of  every  five  of  his  clipper  fleet  could  run  their 
cargoes  through  the  fangs  of  the  Britisli  cruisers. 

The  way  in  which  he  made  his  money  was  none  of 
our  business.  We  came  to  enjoy  his  hospitality,  and 
did  not  permit  our  philanthropy  to  interfere  with  our 
appetites  in  the  least.  For  you  may  have  heard,  re- 
marked the  Lieutenant,  the  old  proverb,  "  He  that  has 
no  fools,  knaves,  nor  beggars  in  his  family,  was  got  by 
a  flash  of  lightning."  Indeed,  were  one  to  decline  to 
dine  with  the  jolly  merchants  of  Brazil  whose  hands 
were  stained  by  picking  blackberries  on  the  coast  of  Af- 
rica, he  would  have  very  few  dinners  to  eat  in  the  em- 
pire. As  for  Dom  Martin,  his  only  daughter.  Dona 
E-uperta,  was  to  be  married  to  a  Scotch  gentleman ;  and 
for  her  sake  we  were  bound  to  be  gallant. 

The  contract  had  been  signed  some  days,  but  the 
marriage  ceremony  was  performed  in  our  presence,  by 
the  archbishop  himself.  It  was  the  same  prelate  spoken 
of  by  the  padron,  and  the  uncle  of  my  deaf  friend, 
Porgallos.  He  was  as  rotund  a  person  as  ever  was 
soaked  in  the  luscious  wines  which  once  ripened  the 
holy  fathers  at  Avignon.  He  had  a  vinous  expression 
of  nose,  however,  as  if  he  was  in  the  habit  of  smelling 
boiled  lobsters  ;    but  if  that,  taken  in  connection  with 


TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES.  399 

a  benignant  visage,  could  have  made  him  eligible  for 
the  Papal  chair,  I  would  as  cheerfully  have  voted  for 
him  as  any  padre  of  my  acquaintance.  The  bishop  was 
assisted  by  two  prebendaries  of  high  renown,  and  a  few 
small  boys,  swinging  censers. 

The  groom  was  a  fine,  frank,  florid  fellow ;  with  a 
good  accent  for  broad  Scotch,  but  a  very  bad  one  for 
the  pure  Portuguese.  In  fact,  though  he  had  been  ten 
years  in  the  country,  he  could  hardly  make  himself  in- 
telligible, even  to  his  youthful  bride. 

Dona  Huperta  was  an  interesting  young  woman,  very 
dark,  but  with  large,  fine  eyes,  and  a  ladylike  figure, 
which  made  amends  for  her  want  of  beauty. 

There  was  a  grand  collation  in  the  dining  room.  In 
the  centre  of  the  table  a  thin  thread  of  a  fountain  threw 
its  cooling  spray  over  masses  of  yellow  pines,  purple 
figs,  pomegranates,  melons,  and  multitudes  of  lesser 
fruits,  which  nestled  in  antique  silver  stands ;  while, 
like  miniature  lighthouses,  arose  from  amid  the  green 
or  sunny  clusters  the  swan-like  necks  of  claret  flasks ; 
flanked  by  burly  jugs  of  johannisberg,  squatting  down 
low  out  of  sight ;  but  all  with  great  drops  of  cold 
perspiration  trickling  down  their  dewy  sides.  Then 
the  perfume  of  the  pineapples,  the  limes,  guavas, 
golden  sugar  bananas  ;  and  such  oranges  too  !  great  big 
spheres,  the  diameter  of  thirty-two  pound  shot,  with  the 
advantage  of  carrying  the  seeds  in  a  little  baby  orange 
at  the  top,  and  leaving  the  great  globe  of  pulp  free  from 


400  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

impurities  of  core  ;  —  to  say  nothing  of  the  delicate  cold 
pates  of  game,  the  salads,  the  ices,  the  music.  The 
reserve  of  the  demure  Brazilian  damsels  wore  off  at 
the  first  pop  of  the  champagne  corks,  and  the  en- 
gagements for  waltzes  and  dances  kept  us  very  busy,  I 
assure  you. 

After  the  health  of  the  newly-married  couple  had 
been  drunk,  and  a  capital  sentiment  uttered  by  his  rev- 
erence the  archbishop,  we  all  crowded  to  the  main 
entrance  of  the  villa,  to  see  the  pair  start  for  the  resi- 
dence of  the  bridegroom.  At  the  foot  of  the  marble 
steps  stood  a  brand  new  open  landau,  lined  with  white 
and  pink  silk,  and  harnessed  to  a  pair  of  jet  black 
horses,  whose  eyes  looked  to  me  as  wicked  as  Satan. 
It  w^s  a  pretty  turn  out,  and  there  stood  the  horses, 
fretting  and  tossing  the  satin  favors  in  their  headstalls, 
while  a  powerful  negro,  in  snow-white  muslin  shirt  and 
trousers,  held  them  firmly  by  the  bits. 

"  A  pleasant  time  to  ye,  lads,"  said  honest  Mac,  with 
a  wave  of  his  hand  to  us  blue  jackets,  as  he  mounted 
the  front  seat,  and  grasped  the  reins. 

His  little  wife  leaned  out  of  the  carriage  door,  and 
putting  her  arms  around  her  father's  neck  and  her  lips 
to  his  face,  sobbed  out,  "  O  mi  padre  !  " 

The  next  instant,  the  black  leaped  away  from  the 
horses'  heads,  sprang  up  beside  his  master,  and  the  ca- 
lash tore  away  through  the  shady  thickets,  out  of  sight. 
The  old  prince  of  slave  traders  gave  a  yearning  look 


TALES    FOR    THE    MAKINES.  491 

after  his  child,  not  thinking,  perhaps,  that  the  dew  of 
her  last  kiss  was  still  moistening  his  cheek. 

"We  all  returned  to  the  dining  hall,  finished  the  repast, 
and  then,  with  our  partners,  books,  or  games,  sauntered 
for  hours  through  the  intricate  groves,  where  music 
was  pouring  its  soft  melody  through  the  foliage,  and 
where  many  of  us  fluns:  ourselves  at  full  len2:th  on  the 
marble  benches  or  rustic  lounges,  and  puffed  cigars  of 
the  real  veguero  growth,  every  one  of  which  was  worth, 
in  perfume  alone,  the  amber  mouthpiece  of  a  sultan's 
pipe, 

I  was  comfortably  convalescing,  I  may  say,  at  that 
time,  from  the  dreadful  treatment  I  had  received  from 
Antonietta,  and  was  doing  my  best  to  appear  amiable  to 
an  elderly  Brazilian  maiden,  with  a  tolerably  thick 
mustache,  and  the  most  woe-begone  expression  I  ever 
saw.  She  was  under  rather  short  canvas  for  a  virgin 
of  her  time  of  life,  and  looked  as  if  she  would  esteem 
it  a  friendly  act  to  be  poisoned  without  delay.  She 
rather  harmonized,  however,  with  my  own  frame  of 
mind,  and  I  had  arrived  at  that  stage  of  di^ust  with 
flirts  and  young  flibbertigibbets,  as,  from  mere  propin- 
quity, to  make  me  fall  enamoured  of  females  old  enough 
to  be  my  grandmother.  It  often  happens  with  your 
green  hands,  after  their  young  love  has  been  blighted, 
to  be  pulled  into  the  traces  again,  like  an  old  boot,  by 
young  ladies  of  mature  age. 

I  had  picked  up  sufficient  Portuguese  to  chatter 
34* 


402  TALES    FOR    THE    MARI^'ES. 

volubly,  and,  seated  in  a  dense  little  labyrinth  of  the 
wood,  I  was  paying  devoted  attention  to  the  yellow  an- 
tiquity with  the  down  on  her  upper  lip.  I  had  also  a 
bottle  of  champagne,  which  I  had  insisted  on  a  waiter's 
leaving  upon  a  wicker  work  settee  close  at  hand. 

If  my  recollection  serves  me,  the  maiden  was  relat- 
ing to  me  the  manner  the  gold  was  found  in  the  streams 
running  through  her  father's  domain ;  though  Heaven 
knows  she  was  too  far  advanced  in  life  herself  to  have  a 
living  sire.  I  was  also  admiring  the  sparkling  brilUants 
on  her  dingy  little  bolsters  of  fingers,  with  an  undefined 
hope  that  she  would  make  good  my  loss  with  the  Span- 
ish brunette  ;  but  it  was  a  vain  hope. 

During  a  pause  in  the  music,  which  seemed  to  be 
playing  inconveniently  near,  our  tete-d-tcte  was  inter- 
rupted by  the  sound  of  voices,  apparently  within  a  yard 
of  us,  on  the  other  side  of  the  closely-matted  under- 
growth of  vines  and  shrubs  which  divided  the  alleys 
and  lanes  of  the  pleasure  grounds.  My  companion  was 
somewhat  startled,  and  fearing,  perhaps,  a  little  scandal 
might  arise  from  being  seen  Avith  a  navy  officer  of  my 
extraordinary  attractions,  she  hastily  snatched  away  her 
hand,  and  left  me  with  no  other  support  than  the  cham- 
pagne. I  was  on  the  point  of  following  the  faded 
charmer,  when  my  steps  were  arrested  by  hearing  a 
deep  bass  voice,  hoarse  with  passion,  say,  in  Portu- 
guese, — 

"  Tell  the  villain  that  I  hold  no  terms  with  pirates  ; 


TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES.  403 

he  has  already  lost  two  fine  vessels,  and  has  played  false 
all  around." 

"But,  Dom  Martin,"  began  a  female  voice,  in  an 
earnest  and  imploring  tone,  "Dora  Martin,  I  will  an- 
swer for  him  this  time ;  we  have  spent  all,  and  he  will 
leave  Brazil  forever." 

"  Nad !  nao  !  I  have  supported  the  scoundrel  already 
for  two  years,  and  not  another  milreis  will  I  give  for  his 
gaming  and  villanies,"  replied  the  deep  lungs  of  a  voice 
I  now  recognized  to  be  that  of  our  host ;  "  not  a  single 
vintem,"  he  went  on ;  "  and  hear  me  ;  tell  him  the 
same  American  corvette  that  captured  the  Clara  is  now 
in  the  harbor,  and  to  beware  lest  I  drop  a  hint  to  her 
captain.  There,  no  more.  Here,  however,  is  some- 
thing for  you.     Adios.'^ 

I  heard  the  heavy,  dull  sound  of  gold,  as  it  clinked 
into  the  woman's  hand. 

"  Another  moment,  Dom  Martin ;  I  came  for  a  good 
purpose,  God  knows.  Dona  Ruperta,  without  knowing 
what  a  wretch  I  was,  has  ever  been  kind  to  me ;  and 
for  her  sake  be  prepared  for  a  serious  danger  which 
threatens  you." 

The  retreating  footsteps  of  Dom  Martin  were  arrested, 
and  after  a  pause,  he  said, — 

"  What  danger  ?  You  don't  mean  that  the  villain  is 
inciting  the  Congo  and  Loango  blacks  to  insurrection  ?  " 

"Be  prepared  for  the  worst,"  said  the  woman,  in  a 
hurried  whisper,  "and  I'll  warn  you,  if  possible,  in 
time." 


404  TALES    FOU   THE   MAKINES. 

The  voice  ceased,  and  I  was  debating  in  my  own  mind 
whether  to  leave  the  shady  httle  bower  before  finishing 
the  champagne,  when,  through  the  same  wall  of  foliage, 
near  the  spot  where  Dom  Martin  and  the  woman  had 
stood,  I  beheld  the  dim  outline  of  a  man's  figure.  He 
walked  stealthily  along  the  pathway,  and  as  he  passed 
my  position,  he  raised  his  hand  with  a  threatening  ges- 
ture, and,  as  if  communing  with  himself,  hissed  through 
his  lips  the  single  word  "  Traidora  !  "  —  Traitress ! 

I  neither  saw  nor  heard  any  thing  further  in  that 
direction ;  and  the  bugles  pealing  forth  an  enlivening 
march,  I  sallied  out  of  my  retreat,  discovered  that  the 
moon  had  taken  the  place  of  the  sun,  and  that  it  was 
time  for  the  dancing  to  begin. 

Joining  the  crowds  who  were  thronging  the  alleys, 
and  cleverly  dodging  my  faded  dulcinea,  who  was,  I 
divined,  intent  upon  waylaying  me  for  a  close  embrace 
in  the  waltz,  in  the  course  of  an  hour  I  entered  the 
villa. 

The  dancing  saloon  was  a  lofty,  oblong  apartment, 
running  the  entire  breadth  of  the  house,  the  ceiling 
tastefully  painted  in  groups  and  strings  of  the  goddesses 
of  the  light,  fantastic  toe.  The  walls  between  the  mar- 
ble pilasters  were  tinted  salmon  color,  while  the  floor 
was  of  the  dark,  rich,  polished  mahogany  of  the  country. 

I  had  been  backing  and  filling  over  this  slippery  floor 
for  some  time,  perfectly  indifferent  to  my  fate,  since  I 
felt  morally  certain  that  any  accidental  capsize  would  be 


TALES   FOR   THE  MARINES.  405 

attributed  to  the  proper  cause,  namely,  tlie  pollsliecl  sur- 
face of  the  mahogany.  It  struck  me,  however,  pending 
these  reflections,  that  I  ought  to  see  a  great  number  of 
lights ;  but  though  the  large  saloon  was  as  brilliant  as 
day,  there  was  not  a  lamp  or  candle  to  be  seen. 

On  a  closer  examination  for  the  chandeliers  and  wax 
burners,  I  discovered  that  the  spaces  between  the  fluted 
pilasters,  around  the  cornices,  and  in  the  medallions  of 
the  ceiling,  were  of  ground  glass,  painted  to  correspond 
with  the  adjoining  parts,  while  the  light  M'as  poured  by 
reflection  into  the  saloon  from  concealed  panels.  The 
effect  was  all  that  could  be  wished,  without  the  heat, 
glare,  or  flare  of  wax  or  oil.  It  convinced  me,  more- 
over, that  the  apparent  defect  in  my  vision  was  attrib- 
utable to  rational  causes,  and  not  to  the  sparkle  of  the 
champagne.  At  the  same  time,  the  discovery  so  much 
affected  me  that  I  persuaded  a  nymph  of  some  twelve 
summers 

Now,  don't  laugh,  ladies,  for  I  knew  an  admiral's 
wife  in  Brazil  who  was  the  mother  of  seven  children  at 
eighteen  years  of  age,  all  single'  throws,  and  never 
doublets  or  tripods  among  the  lot. 

Well,  she  w^as  a  wild  little  thing,  and  we  went  to  sen 
timentalize  on  the  piazzas.  There  w^as  a  pretty  thick 
volume  of  cigar  smoke  afloat,  and  a  number  of  card 
tables  about,  w^ith  a  very  rich  display  of  counters  ;  so  I 
surmised  that  the  betting  was  high.  In  fact,  your  old 
gamblers,  your   staid,  respectable   diplomats,  sagacious 


406  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

statesmen,  and  the  like,  never  put  any  money  up.  It 
sets  a  bad  example ;  but  still  they  bet  all  the  deeper 
for  it,  and  remit  to  each  other  little  Ullcts-de-hanc  in 
the  morning. 

Occasionally,  too,  some  tawny  old  dowager,  with  any 
quantity  of  sugar  and  coiFee  in  bags,  with  fingers  loaded, 
between  the  layers  of  fat,  with  royal  brilliants,  and 
brows  and  jaseys  with  the  same  precious  stones,  would 
be  seated  at  the  green  tables,  merely  looking  on  for 
amusement.  At  intervals  they  would  give  as  much  of 
a  nod  as  their  unwieldy  necks  would  stand,  as  much  as 
to  say,  "  A  thousand  milreis  on  the  trick,"  or,  "  Fifty 
ounces  on  the  game,"  and  so  on. 

While  cruising  around  this  part  of  the  mansion,  I 
was  accosted  by  an  American  merchant  with,  "  Young 
gentleman,  will  you  be  good  enough  to  find  Captain 
Percy  for  me  ?  " 

Now,  this  was  the  very  move  of  all  others  I  was 
most  anxious  to  avoid,  since  I  was  just  in  that  state  of 
elation  to  be  aware,  if  my  venerable  commander  caught 
sight  of  me,  I  should  certainly  get  my  ears  pinched,  and 
perhaps  be  sent  off  to  the  corvette.  So  I  had  exerted 
all  my  tactics  during  the  day  and  evening  to  determine 
exactly  his  position,  but  never  permitting  him  to  know 
mine.  The  fact  was,  that  old  Percy  had  some  unac- 
countable disinclination  to  have  his  young  reefers  use 
tobacco  or  drink  wine ;  and  when  dining  with  him  at 
his  own  table,  he  would  say,  "  Have  a  cigar,  sir  ?     Ah, 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  407 

you  don't  smoke.  Steward,  pass  them  on."  But  in 
the  matter  of  wine  he  never  even  passed  the  compli- 
ment upon  us ;  so  that  we  had  to  watch  a  chance,  fill 
our  glasses,  and  under  the  mask  of  a  stand  of  fruit,  or 
a  wine  cooler,  toss  them  off  surreptitiously. 

In  reply  to  my  interrogator,  I  said,  "  O,  yes,  sir ;  but 
I  can't  leave  the  lady ;  but  there  the  gaptain  stands, 
smoking  a  cigar  with  the  bishop,"  pointing  through  a 
lane  of  humanity  towards  the  balustrade  of  the  veranda. 

"Ah!  muito  hem;  the  very  pair  I  was  in  search  of" 

The  moment  after,  I  saw  all  three  move  towards  the 
end  of  the  piazza,  where  there  was  a  sort  of  pavilion 
for  punch  and  ices ;  and  being  joined  by  Dom  Martin 
and  several  more  native  and  foreign  gentlemen,  they 
listened  with  great  attention  to  some  remarks  which  fell 
from  the  host.  Believing  that  no  danger  would  follow, 
at  the  solicitation  of  my  companion  I  fed  her  with  ices 
from  the  pavilion,  and  thus  overheard  the  concluding 
part  of  the  conversation. 

"Si,  senhores,"  said  Dom  Martin,  "there  must  be  at 
the  lowest  computation  nearly  nine  thousand  blacks  in 
the  great  apaidados.  They  have  been  going  away  to 
those  swamps  for  many  months  —  chiefly  the  Loango 
slaves,  brave  and  fearless  fellows,  all  of  them.  I  have 
every  reason  to  apprehend  danger ;  and  this  very  even- 
ing I  learned  that  there  is  a  prospect  of  the  negroes 
being  incited  by  foreign  sailors,  some  of  whom,  in  times 
past,  I  have  had  dealings  with.     Moreover,  our  troops 


408  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

here  are  not  numerous,  and  should  an  attack  be  made, 
they  will  have  as  much  as  they  can  do  to  defend  Bahia, 
while  here  in  the  suburbs  we  shall  be  left  comparatively 
unprotected." 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  spoke  up  old  Percy,  turning  to 
the  foreign  consuls,  "  you  have  only  to  address  me  an 
official  letter  on  the  subject,  and  I'll  give  you  all  the  as- 
sistance that  can  be  spared  from  the  Juniata." 

I  may  observe  here  that  Percy  not  only  received  the 
thanks  of  the  English  government  for  the  protection  he 
afforded  to  British  subjects  during  the  affairs  which  sub- 
sequently occurred,  but  a  splendid  service  of  plate  from 
the  foreigners  themselves  in  San  Salvador. 

When  the  consultation  broke  up,  I  beat  a  retreat  with 
my  youthful  partner,  and  again  sought  the  ball  room. 
It  must  have  been  past  midnight.  A  long  contra-danqa 
had  been  formed  ;  but  just  as  the  headmost  couples  were 
beginning  to  swing  forward  to  the  measured  cadence  of 
the  orchestra,  from  some  unknown  cause  the  music  sud- 
denly paused,  and  then  ceased  altogether,  while  a  breath- 
less silence  reigned  throughout  the  room.  We  all  gazed 
inquiringly  from  one  to  another ;  but  at  the  same  mo- 
ment the  crowd  fell  back  from  the  great  doorway  lead- 
ing to  the  vestibule,  and  we  beheld  the  powerful  ne- 
gro, who  had  attended  the  newly  married  couple,  lean- 
ing against  the  pilaster.  The  black  stood  with  his 
right  arm  pressed  to  his  side,  while  the  hand  and  part 
of  the  forearm  was  snapped  short  off,  and  hung  down 


TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES.  409 

at  nearly  right  angles  with   the   remainder  of  the  joint. 
His  dress  was  one  mass  of  blood  and  dirt. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  exclaimed  a  dozen  voices, 
while  some  of  the  women  screamed  with  fright,  as  the 
slave  stood  trembling  and  gasping,  with  his  face  the  hue 
of  blue  ashes,  on  the  threshold. 

"  Dom  Martin  !  "  uttered  the  maimed  negro. 

"  Here,"  said  the  host,  as  he  pushed  his  way  through 
the  terrified  crowd  of  women,  and  never  stopped  until 
he  stood  face  to  face  with  the  slave.  "  Qwe  falla  "  — 
Let  him  speak. 

I  did  not  catch  the  words  in  reply,  but  Dom  Martin 
gave  a  frightful  shudder,  turned  half  round,  with  a  stare 
of  agony,  and  while  the  great  drops  of  sweat  burst  from 
his  forehead,  he  fell  headlong  on  the  floor. 

All  was  soon  explained.  The  horses  had  got  away. 
Dona  Ruperta  had  been  killed,  and  her  husband  had  a 
fractured  skull. 

I  need  not  tell  you  that  the  gay  wedding  and  ball  ter- 
minated in  weeping  and  sorrow.  Poor  Mac,  though  he 
partially  recovered  from  his  accident,  and  returned  to 
Scotland,  never,  I  believe,  fully  regained  his  reason,  save 
to  mourn  for  his  unfortunate  bride.  It  cast  a  heavy 
gloom,  too,  over  all  the  foreign  society  of  the  city,  which 
it  took  a  long  time  to  remove. 

Meanwhile   the   fears   of  an  insurrection   among   the 
slaves  of  the  province,  at  that  time  immensely  outnum- 
bering the  whites,  became  every  day  more  general.     In 
35 


410  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

consequence  of  the  representations  which  had  akeady 
been  made  to  Percy,  fifty  men  from  the  Juniata,  besides 
the  marine  guard,  were  detailed  for  a  sort  of  garrison 
duty  in  the  dwellings  of  the  foreign  residents. 

Our  ground  was  confined  to  the  Yittoria,  as  I  have 
hinted,  a  suburb  of  villas,  overlooking  the  glorious  bay, 
and  faced  on  the  opposite  side  by  a  broad  road  and  high 
stone  walls. 

The  main  retreat  of  the  blacks  was  ascertained  to  be 
about  fifteen  miles  from  the  city,  in  the  direction  of  the 
open  sea,  and  it  was  presumed,  in  case  of  attack,  they 
would  approach  by  the  Vittoria  road,  where  no  troops 
were  posted,  and  there  was  no  impediment  to  oppose  the 
negroes  until  our  little  band  had  been  landed  for  the 
service. 

The  villas  were  about  the  third  of  a  mile  apart ;  and  | 
as  they  were  charmingly  cool  residences,  with  great 
broad  piazzas,  plenty  of  delicious  claret  and  pure  Havanas 
to  sip  and  puff,  while  the  fresh  sea  breezes  rattled  the 
blinds  of  the  lofty  dining  halls ;  and  since  we  were 
treated,  marines  and  mariners,  with  a  noble  hospitahty,  ! 
why,  it  was  not  in  the  heai't  of  man  to  wish  that  the 
fears  of  a  negro  insurrection  should  ever  end. 

My  quarters  were  at  the  villa  of  the  Sardinian  consul, 
whose  wife,  a  very  handsome  woman,  with  the  blood  of 
a  Balbi  in  her  veins,  was  my  tutoress  in  the  interesting 
little  game  of  ecarte.  I  played  for  her  while  she  did 
the  honors  of  her  house  ;  and  it  was  owing,  possibly,  to 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  411 

the  instructions  she  gave  me,  that  she  filled  her  purse 
with  yellow  gold  from  the  plethoric  pockets  of  her 
guests. 

Every  evening  after  the  gentlemen  had  returned  from 
their  business  pursuits  in  the  town,  partaken  of  dinner, 
and  so  forth,  it  was  customary  to  close  and  barricade  the 
gates,  station  lookouts  on  the  walls,  and  then  stroll  from 
house  to  house,#and  amuse  ourselves  with  cards  or  dan- 
cing until  past  midnight. 

Each  villa  was  a  miniature  fortress.  The  corners 
of  the  rooms  were  stacked  with  fowling-pieces  and 
blunderbusses.  Swords  and  canes  were  piled  on  chairs. 
The  ladies'  work  boxes  were  filled  with  bullets.  Pistols 
and  percussion  caps  lay  ready  for  use  beside  the  cards 
on  the  tables.  The  windows  and  doors  facing  the  road 
were  bolted,  barred,  and  double  locked,  and  every  thing, 
in  short,  ready  for  a  siege  of  any  duration.  Our  men, 
at  the  same  time,  eight  or  ten  at  each  villa,  were  posted 
about  the  grounds  during  the  night,  but  in  the  day  they 
lounged  and  slept  away  the  hours,  as  well  as  generous 
cheer  would  allow  them. 

The  commander-in-chief  of  our  troops  on  the  land 
was,  of  course.  Colonel  Steelin,  the  marine  officer  of  the 
Juniata.  You  will  not  understand  that  he  had  actually 
risen  to  that  high  grade  in  the  corps  ;  for,  according  to 
the  present  rate  of  promotion,  by  the  nicest  calculation, 
he  would  have  to  be  just  two  hundred  and  thirteen  years 
seven  months  and   a  half  in  the  service  to  attain  that 


412  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

rank,  which  is  simply  impossible.  We  gave  him  the 
title  as  an  affectionate  sort  of  brevet,  and  believed  that 
his  merits  made  him  eligible  for  a  brigadier.  I  forget 
whether  I  have  yet  described  him  as  he  deserves.  At 
all  events,  a  slight  repetition  of  the  virtues  of  a  good 
fellow  is  not  throw^n  away. 

Steelin  was,  and  is  now,  one  of  the  most  excellent, 
warm-hearted,  good  creatures  in  the  s^vice.  To  be  a 
soldier  was  his  pride,  and  a  good  messmate  his  passion. 
To  maintain  the  foraier  reputation,  he  always  made  up 
his  own  bed,  kept  his  trunk,  like  a  canteen,  packed  in 
the  middle  of  the  Atlantic,  ready  for  a  campaign  any 
where.  He  buttoned  his  military  frock  to  the  tip  of  his 
stock  on  the  coast  of  ^Muscat ;  never  gave  an  eighth  of 
an  inch  to  his  sword  belt  or  sash  after  the  heartiest  of 
dinners  ;  he  loved  the  fife,  but  scorned  the  flute  ;  a  fiddler 
was  his  abhorrence,  and  he  always  advised  those  musical 
gentry,  on  the  score  of  economy,  to  grow  their  own  cats 
for  strings.  The  colonel  knew,  besides  the  regulations, 
the  exploits  of  every  distinguished  soldier  of  modern 
times,  and  as  for  his  drill,  it  was  perfection. 

"  I  say,  you.  Private  Dodds,"  or  "  Corporal  Boggs," 
as  the  case  might  be,  he  would  exclaim,  while  his  bullies 
were  drawn  up  on  the  lee  side  of  the  quarter  deck,  and 
snatching  the  musket  from  the  individual's  grasp,  "  hold 
the  piece  firm  to  the  breast  as  the  rock  of  Gib-ral-tar ! 
Learn  to  stand  fire,  sir,  like  a  mutton  chop,  and  keep  your 
eye  on  the  object,  sir." 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  413 

It  was  a  delightful  study,  I  assure  you,  to  hear  him  ; 
for  he  was  indeed  a  great  comfort  to  us.  We  had  all 
misgivings,  however,  a  good  while  after  this  cruise,  that 
the  colonel  would  fall  off  when  he  committed  matri- 
mony ;  but  it  "  never  fazed  him,"  he  was  wont  to  say. 
He  was  up,  kit  packed,  pipe  clay  mixed,  whiskers 
trimmed  to  a  hair,  and  off  to  sea  in  a  frigate  on  a  three 
years'  cruise  to  the  East  Indies,  the  day  after  his  mar- 
riage. 

Our  head  quarters  were  at  the  villa  of  Dom  Martin. 
It  was  the  most  central  position,  and  made  the  best  ren- 
dezvous in  case  the  adjacent  buildings  should  be  attacked  ; 
but  the  owner  himself  we  rarely  saw,  since  he  was  as 
yet  too  much  pressed   down  by  the  loss   of  his  child. 

One  fine  night,  when  the  moon  was  on  the  wane,  but 
still  nearly  round,  and  throwing  a  full,  soft,  mellow 
light  over  the  broad  expanse  of  the  bay,  I  made  a  visit 
to  the  colonel.  My  object  was,  to  report  the  patrol  out, 
and  that  a  casualty  had  happened  to  one  of  our  gallant 
band,  who  had  tumbled  from  a  ladder  against  the  wall, 
broken  his  musket,  together  with  his  shin,  and  received 
several  abrasions  of  his  flesh. 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  said  the  colonel ;  "  I  only  wish 
that  he  had  broken  his  neck  instead  of  his  arms  ;  and  I 
rather  think  he  must  have  been  eating  eels,  to  have 
made  him  wriggle  off  the  ladder,  sir.  I  shall  put  him 
in  irons  at  daylight,  sir." 

I  found  Steeliii  in  the  second  story,  or  altos ,  as  they 


414  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

call  the  upper  rooms  of  a  Brazilian  house,  leaning  over 
a  broad  iron  balcony.  He  was  flanked  by  a  large  silver 
salver  containing  every  variety  of  drink,  a  pyramid  of 
limes,  a  bowl  of  sugar  for  a  brew  of  punch,  and  a  bun- 
dle of  cigars. 

"By  Jove,  sir,"  said  the  colonel,  as  he  observed  the 
glow  of  pleasure  with  which  I  beheld  the  tempting  dis- 
play set  out  for  his  conviviality  —  "  by  Jove,  sir,  this  is 
one  of  the  houses,  it  is.  My  friend,  Dom  Martin,  lives 
like  a  perfect  gentleman,  and  if  he  had  another  daugh- 
ter, she  would  be  mine,  sir  —  mine." 

"  I  say,  colonel,"  I  began,  "  what  a  glorious  big  bed 
that  is ! "  pointing  to  a  great  state  affair,  with  enough 
gauze  and  curtains  around  the  superb  decorations  to 
have  made  a  suit  of  studding  sails  for  a  frigate.  "  I 
s'pose  you  sleep  like  a  top,  nights." 

"  What !  "  he  exclaimed,  with  assumed  indignation, 
as  he  squeezed  some  lime  juice  over  the  sugar,  in  a 
tumbler,  and  rang  a  bell  for  a  servant,  to  bring  fire  for 
his  cigar  —  "  what,  sir  !  do  you  imagine  a  true  soldier 
sleeps  tranquilly  in  a  bed  like  that  in  time  of  war  ? 
No,  sir ;  a  cane-bottomed  settee  there,  jacket  for  pil- 
low, and  sword  at  my  side  —  that's  ray  bed,  sir,  and 
ready  at  all  hours  of  the  night  for  the  grand  rounds, 
sir." 

I,  of  necessity,  had  no  more  to  say,  after  the  wisdom 
thus  imparted  to  me ;  so  I  drew  a  chair  to  the  balcony, 
and  while  the  fruits  and  plants  gave  out  their  delicious 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARIN'ES.  415 

perfume  to  the  gentle  influence  of  the  night  dew,  I 
listened  to  the  talk  of  my  companion  relative  to  his 
exploits  in  the  field  of  Mars.  At  last  he  ceased,  and 
■sve  both  fell  into  a  revery  ;  the  smoke  from  the  cigars 
curled  in  blue,  spiral  wreaths  around  our  heads,  and  the 
only  sound  that  broke  upon  the  stillness  was  at  times 
a  large  drop  of  moisture  rolling  off  the  foliage,  and, 
perchance,  falling  with  a  loud  snap  upon  the  broad  leaf 
of  a  banana  or  guava  bush  below. 

Suddenly  we  were  startled  by  a  quick  hail  from  a 
sentinel,  a  few  hundred  yards  on  our  left,  of,  "  Stop 
there,  or  I'll  plug  you  with  a  balL"  "  Stop  !  "  was 
cried  the  second  time ;  and  the  moment  after  rang  out 
the  loud  report  of  a  musket,  and  we  could  hear  the  ball 
whistle  through  the  leaves  and  undergrowth,  making 
the  dew  fall  like  rain. 

Before  we  had  time  to  think,  two  figures  sprang  out 
into  one  of  the  open  parterres  of  flowers,  from  an  angle 
of  the  shrubbeiy ;  a  violent  struggle  ensued  between 
them  ;  we  saw  a  blade  gleam  with  a  silver  flash  in  the 
moonlight ;  there  was  a  choking  scream,  some  half-audi- 
ble ejaculations  of,  "  O  Bill,  coward  !  how  could  —  kill 
me ;  "  and  one  of  the  two  sank  upon  the  ground. 

While  Steelin  and  I  yelled  for  the  guard  to  turn  out 
and  arrest  the  intruders,  the  only  response  we  at  fiji'st 
got  was  a  flash  from  a  pistol  beneath  the  balcony,  fol- 
lowed by  a  ball,  which  clipped  off  some  of  the  stucco 
work  on  the  window  frame   above  our  heads,  while  a 


416  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

voice  sung  out,  "  Take  that  for  your  pains  !  "  and  the 
individual  leaped  again  within  the  dense  thickets. 

We  immediately  descended  to  the  piazza,  and  as  the 
alarm  spread  in  both  directions,  up  and  down  the  road, 
the  men  lined  the  walls.  An  order  was  given  for  no 
one  to  pass,  and  no  one  did  escape,  that  we  could  see  ; 
but  still,  after  a  close  search,  we  could  discover  no  trace 
of  the  person  who  had  created  the  disturbance. 

Our  attention  was  now  turned  to  the  post  where  the 
first  alarm  had  been  given  ;  and  on  questioning  the  sen- 
try, —  a  plain,  straightforward  Yankee,  —  he  stated  that 
a  white  woman,  nearly  out  of  breath,  had  come  quickly 
upon  him,  and  desired  to  be  conducted  to  Dom  Martin 
instantly.  But  while  she  was  making  the  request,  a 
man  dashed  into  the  alley  with  a  knife  in  his  hand ;  the 
woman  took  to  flight  ;  the  man  pursued,  and  not  stop- 
ping at  the  sentry's  hail,  he  had  fired.  This  was  all 
clear,  and,  with  Dom  Martin  and  several  gentlemen 
from  the  adjacent  villas,  we  moved  towards  the  grounds 
in  the  rear,  from  which  the  colonel  and  I  had  been  sa- 
luted with  the  pistol  bullet. 

Emerging  into  the  open  garden,  we  beheld  a  human 
form,  lying,  face  downwards,  upon  a  bed  of  brilliant 
flowers,  standing  up  like  white  and  red  torches  in  the 
moonlight ;  while  all  around,  the  plants  and  shrubs 
were  trampled  under  foot  by  the  desperate  struggle  we 
had  before  witnessed.  We  all  moved  hastily  forward  ; 
and  from  the  torn  drapery  and  mass  of  dishevelled  hair. 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  417 

strewed  dank  and  wet  with,  blood  upon  the  back,  we 
saw  that  it  was  a  woman.  She  was  Ivincr  with  her  face 
almost  buried  in  the  soft,  rich  earth,  while  between  the 
shoulders  was  the  hilt  of  a  knife,  which  had  been 
plunged  in  up  to  the  guard. 

"  What  hellish  work  is  this  ?  "  exclaimed  Dom  Mar- 
tin, as  we  raised  the  body  and  bore  it  to  the  piazza. 
*^  Bring  water,  quick ;   she  may  not  be  dead." 

AVe  propped  the  body  up  on  one  of  the  great  cane 
lounges,  and  in  a  few  moments,  with  a  napkin  and  jar 
of  water,  I  had  gently  washed  away  the  dirt  from  the 
face,  and  bathed  the  neck  and  bosom. 

"  Stone  dead,"  said  our  consul.  A  low  groan,  how- 
ever, followed  from  the  body  ;  a  gurgling  rattle,  and 
she  slowly  opened  her  eyes. 

"  Ah,  poor  soul !  she  is  the  wife  of  a  miscreant  I 
formerly  employed,"  said  Dom  Martin. 

Wine  was  brought,  and  a  little  being  placed  in  her 
mouth,  it  seemed  to  revive  her ;  for  she  opened  her  eyes 
again  wide,  and  blood  flowed  in  a  stream  from  her  lips. 
At  length  the  hemorrhage  ceased,  and  she  appeared  to 
be  regaining  consciousness.  Her  eye  first  glanced  upon 
me,  and  she  murmured,  in  broken  whispers,  "  Poor 
little  —  fellow,  —  I  thought  they  killed  —  you  —  at  Mag 
Surfs." 

I  let  fall  the  basin  in  absolute  surprise ;  then  gazing 
attentively  at  the  dying  features,  I  was  at  last  enabled  to 
recognize  the  woman  to  be  Loo  O'Neil.     But  what  a 


418  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

change  !  Instead  of  the  fine  blooming  woman  I  had  once 
seen,  there  lay  stretched  before  me  the  hollow,  ghastly- 
cheeks,  hollow  eyes,  and  shrunken  figure  of  one  who  had 
plainly  led  a  life  of  misery  since  we  had  parted.  She 
fainted  away  once  or  twice  ;  but  recovering  again,  though 
becoming  weaker  every  minute,  she  mentioned  the  name 
of  Dom  Martin.     She  spoke  with  difficulty. 

"  The  attack  of  the  blacks  will  be  made  before  day- 
light," said  she;  "  they  are  now  approaching  the  city  — 
by  both  roads.  I  came  to  warn  Dona  Kuperta."  There 
was  another  faint  turn.  "  One  body  by  the  Yittoria  —  this 
house  will  be  plundered  —  there  :  I  am  going  —  God 
forgive  me  —  I  am  steeped  in  crime  :  he  murdered " 

The  eyes  remained  wide  open  ;  the  light  had  left  them 
—  there  was  a  rattling  struggle  in  the  throat,  and  all 
was  over  with  Loo  O'Neil. 

**  Her  papers  are  white,  I  really  do  believe,  sir,"  said 
the  old  sergeant  of  marines,  as  he  brushed  away  a  tear 
from  his  bronzed  cheek,  and  touched  his  cap  to  his 
officer. 

'^  There's  no  time  to  be  lost,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed 
the  colonel,  in  a  low  tone  ;  '^  but  we  must  have  a  rein- 
forcement." 

"  Ay,  that  we  must,"  said  Dom  Martin.  "  I  know 
the  revengeful  villain  well  who  has  urged  on  these 
poor,  ignorant  blacks,  and  he  will  do  all  he  can  to 
massacre  the  whites." 

*^  At  the  same  time,"  said  the  consul,  "  we  must  get 


TALES    FOR   THE    MAR1^-ES.  419 

a  message  as  soon  as  possible  to  the  corvette ;  and  who 
will  go  ? " 

•'I  will,  if  you  please,  sir,"  I  volunteered;  '^  only 
show  me  the  way ;  "  for  I  felt  an  itching  to  be  with 
old  Jack  Percy,  as  I  felt  sure  that  if  any  body  would 
circumvent  Mr.  Bill  Lowther  it  would  be  he. 

"  Bravo,  boy  !  I'll  give  you  a  guide  ;  and  while  you 
are  gone  I'll  send  a  note  to  the  commandant  of  the 
troops  to  be  on  the  alert  in  the  city." 

The  guide  furnished  me  w^as  a  little  negro  boy  about 
tei»  years  old  ;  but,  saving  that  he  was  so  black  that  I 
could  not  see  him  at  times,  he  performed  his  task  well, 
and  I  managed  to  scramble  down  a  steep,  rocky  path  on 
the  face  of  the  hill  towards  the  sea,  and  soon  stood  upon 
the  beach.  The  next  move  was  to  find  a  boat,  though  I 
fancy  the  good  people  above  thought  I  intended  to  swim 
off  to  the  ship,  which  lay  about  a  mile  from  the  shore. 
Fortunately,  we  found  an  old  log  of  a  fishing  canoe. 
With  sharp  stones  we  cut  the  painter,  and  then,  with 
two  pieces  of  drift  wood  for  paddles,  we  put  off. 

The  current  was  running  strong  in  shore,  and  we  were 
whirled  about  a  good  deal ;  biit  presently  we  crossed  the 
bows  of  a  large  Brazilian  frigate,  called  the  Bahiana, 
lying  in  harbor.  Before  I  had  breath  to  reply  to  the 
hail  of  the  sentry  on  post  at  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit, 
he  let  slip  a  bullet  at  me.  It  was  not  badly  aimed  for  a 
Brazilian,  taking  into  consideration  that  we  were  not 
more  than  thirty  feet  from  the  muzzle  of  his  piece  ;  and 


420  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

the  ball  smashed  slap  through  the  bottom  of  the  canoe. 
My  little  darkey  jumped  overboard  with  a  shriek,  while 
I  dropped  my  paddle  into  the  water,  and  yelled  out  that 
I  was  the  very  best  amigo  the  empire  ever  had. 

My  cries,  joined  to  the  noise  of  the  musket,  attracted 
attention  on  board  the  Juniata,  scarcely  a  cable's  length 
distant,  and  a  boat  was  manned  and  sent  to  pick  us  up. 

My  report  was  quickly  made  to  old  Percy,  who  was, 
as  usual,  picking  his  teeth  in  his  sleep. 

"  Orderly,"  he  said,  as  the  man  answered  the  cabin 
bell,  "  tell  the  officer  of  the  watch  to  beat  to  quarters, 
and  prepare  the  second  division  for  landing  at  the  Vit- 
toria.  Let  a  boat  also  be  sent  to  this  frigate  alongside, 
to  thank  the  captain  for  firing  at  one  of  my  officers,  and 
say  that  there  is  every  reason  to  look  for  an  attack  by 
the  blacks  upon  the  city  before  daylight."  Meanwhile 
the  old  gentleman  slipped  on  his  trousers  and  upper  rig  ; 
then,  taking  a  pair  of  duelling  pistols  carefully  out  of 
the  case,  he  stepped  on  deck. 

Fifteen  minutes  had  not  elapsed  before  his  orders  had 
been  fully  executed.  Both  ships  had  beat  to  quarters, 
the  Brazilian  with  her  ports  triced  up,  battle  lanterns 
kindled,  and  all  her  boats  in  readiness  to  act.  At  the 
same  time,  the  second  division  of  the  corvette's  crew, 
about  seventy  men  and  officers,  had  left  the  ship- 
Guided  by  the  same  little  blackey  who  had  led  me  down 
the  hill,  we  could  every  now  and  then  trace  their  course 
up  the  steep  face  of  the  ascent  by  the  glitter  of  a  bay- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  421 

onet  reflected  from  the  last  glimmers  of  tlie  setting 
moon. 

It  was  near  two  o'clock.  "We  had  waited  a  long  time 
in  considerable  anxiety,  but  all  remained  tranquil  —  not 
a  sound  save  occasionally  the  splash  of  a  fish  jumping 
out  of  water,  and  the  low,  distant  roar  of  the  ocean 
rolling  upon  the  outer  beach.  The  town  seemed  wrapped 
in  repose.  The  white  ranges  of  houses,  the  towers  of 
churches  and  convents,  and  the  deep  foliage  of  the  sub- 
urbs were  all  shrouded  in  the  dim,  indistinct  veil  of 
starlight.  I  stood  beside  the  captain  and  first  lieuten- 
ant on  the  poop,  waiting  impatiently  for  the  assault  to 
begin  ;  while  the  crew  remaining  on  board  were  lying 
on  the  deck  at  their  quarters  at  the  great  guns,  in  readi- 
ness to  jump  into  the  boats  at  the  gangways,  to  act  at 
any  point  their  services  might  be  required. 

"  Four  bells,"  said  the  orderly  at  the  cabin  doors. 
The  clang  of  the  brass  tongue  of  the  bell  had  hardly 
ceased  its  liquid  notes,  when,  in  the  direction  of  the  Vit- 
toria,  we  heard  a  few  dropping  shots,  and  then  a  smart 
volley.  Away  to  the  left  over  the  city  the  horizon 
became  brilliant  with  flame,  and  then  began  the  work  in 
earnest.  Volley  upon  volley  of  musketry  rolled  in 
rapid  succession,  broken  in  upon  every  few  seconds  by 
the  deeper  boom  of  field  pieces ;  while  we  could  hear, 
amid  the  strife,  the  clattering  of  cavalry  mingled  with 
the  clash  of  steel,  and  above  all,  the  wild,  terrific  howls 
and  shrieks  of  the  infuriated  blacks.  The  fire,  too,  was 
36 


422  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES 

kept  up  sharp  and  warm  at  the  Vittoria,  and  by  the 
cheers  and  shouts  of  our  people  we  felt  assured  they 
would  be  able  to  beat  off  any  force  of  unarmed  negroes 
that  might  be  brought  to  oppose  them,  even  though  led 
by  sailors. 

"  Is  my  gig  ready,  and  the  men  armed  ?  "  said  Percy. 

"  All  ready  at  the  starboard  gangway,  sii-,"  replied 
Mr.  Hope. 

"  Then  be  ready  to  send  all  the  men  you  can  spare  to 
the  Vittoria  in  case  of  need.  I  shall  go  there  myself, 
and  see  how  things  get  on.  Come,  Mr.  Gringo,  let  us 
shove  off." 

Old  Dolphin  gave  a  low  whistle,  the  oars  dipped  like 
knife  blades  into  the  water,  and  we  spun  away  to  the 
lower  landing.  There,  after  waiting  some  time,  a  mes- 
senger came,  as  had  been  agreed  upon,  from  Steelin, 
who  reported  that  the  blacks  had  been  repulsed  without 
difficulty  from  iLe  villas,  and  had  apparently  moved  off 
to  join  the  main  body  in  the  attack  upon  Bahia.  They 
had  evidently  met  with  a  leception  they  were  by  no 
means  prepared  for ;  but  still  the  battle  raged  in  the  city 
with  great  spirit. 

"  Pull  slowly  up  along  the  town,"  said  old  Percy,  as 
we  shoved  off  from  the  landing.  "  The  chances  are, 
the  negroes  will  be  beaten  ;  but  whether  they  will  fall 
back  to  their  former  ground  at  the  swamps  or  be  driven 
into  the  bay  is  doubtful." 

The  boats  from  the  frigate  Bahiana  had  preceded  us. 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  423 

and  now,  as  the  gray  of  morning  was  stealing  above  the 
smoke  hanging  upon  the  hill,  we  all  rowed  past  the 
city.  The  firing,  however,  still  continued  hot  and  ir- 
regular, and  still  the  wild  clamor  of  the  assailants  rose 
in  the  deadly  conflict,  accompanied  by  the  sound  of 
tom-toms  and  the  clash  of  steel.  The  sounds  came 
nearer  too,  and  struck  with  greater  distinctness  upon 
our  ears ;  and  soon  the  combat  rolled  from  the  outskirts 
into  the  city,  along  by  the  plaza,  when  again  the  field 
guns  came  into  play,  and  the  musketry  poui-ed  in  volley 
upon  volley. 

"  They  have  made  a  bold  stand  somewhere,"  said  old 
Jack,  "  and  if  they  overcome  the  troops,  there  won't  be 
a  white  left  alive  in  the  town  to  tell  the  tale." 

At  last  there  was  a  thundering  discharge,  then  a 
pause  of  comparative  stillness,  followed  by  a  shout  of 
triumph  from  the  troops.  Then  the  nine  pounders 
ceased,  and  the  firing  of  the  musketry  seemed  to  be 
divided,  one  part  echoing  away  back  of  the  city,  while 
the  other  blazed  up  on  the  very  crest  of  the  hill  towards 
the  harbor,  and  at  the  same  time  we  could  hear  a  few 
spent  bullets  skipping  about  the  tiled  roofs  of  the  ware- 
houses of  the  lower  town. 

"Ah,  ha!"  muttered  Percy,  "those  poor,  deluded 
slaves  are  retreating,  and  if  they  come  this  way,  they 
must  bolt  by  the  watering  ravine ;  so  give  way,  lads." 

In  a  few  minutes  we  had  swept  for  a  mile  beyond  the 
port  and  shipping,  and  reached  a  little  stone  jetty  pro- 


4:24:  TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES. 

jecting  some  distance  into  the  bay,  where  was  a  narrow 
channel  chiselled  out  of  the  rocks,  for  a  thin  stream  of 
fresh  water  to  fill  the  casks  in  the  boats  beneath.  A 
large  number  of  canoes  were  hauled  up  on  the  beach 
near  by,  while  the  nets,  floats,  gourds,  corks,  and  sails 
of  the  fishermen  were  spread  over  them.  Just  below 
the  watering  wharf  was  a  broad,  causewayed  ascent  lead- 
ing, with  one  or  two  angles,  to  the  plaza  of  the  city , 
and  then  above  was  another  of  more  rugged  ascent,  and 
forming  a  sort  of  delta  in  the  rainy  season,  where  nu- 
merous paths  and  watercourses  joined  at  the  base,  and 
fell  into  the  bay. 

It  was  now  broad  daylight ;  the  firing  from  the  hill 
had  ceased,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  scattering  shots ; 
but  the  cries  of  the  soldiers,  and  the  slipping  and  clat- 
tering of  the  cavalry,  as  the  horses  were  urged  over  the 
smooth,  steep  pavements,  were  mingled,  as  before,  with 
the  savage,  wailing  shrieks  of  the  defeated  blacks. 

By  this  time  the  boats  of  the  Bahiana  had  taken  posi- 
tion in  a  line  wi'th  the  jetty,  and  all  were  arrtied  with 
swivels,  while  the  launch  had,  in  addition,  a  howitzer- 
built  twenty-four  pounder  carronade  in  her  bows,  on  a 
traversing  shde.  We  lay  on  our  oars  outside  of  all, 
and  waited  the  result  with  the  deepest  suspense. 

Suddenly  a  simultaneous  and  unearthly  yell  arose 
from  the  high  bank  abovi  us,  and  quick  as  thought  we 
beheld  a  great  mass  of  naked  blacks  leaping  like  so 
many  demons   down  the  narrow  paths  of  the  rugged 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  425 

ravine.  They  were  in  full  flight ;  while,  hurrying  down 
the  causeway,  the  troops  came  straggling  along,  with  a 
horseman  or  two  at  intervals  in  their  midst/  their  sabres 
waving,  and  all  shouting  and  cursing  awfully.  A  panic 
had  evidently  come  upon  the  slaves ;  and,  quite  fren- 
zied, they  no  sooner  gained  the  beach,  than,  plunging 
into  the  pure,  blue,  tranquil  water  of  the  bay,  they 
struck  out  for  God  only  knows  where. 

Then  the  boats  from  the  frigate  opened;  the  heavy 
crash  of  the  cannon  followed ;  the  water  was  all  foam 
for  an  instant ;  but  when  the  gentle  land  wind  rolled 
the  smoke  back  like  a  blanket,  the  grape  and  canister 
shot  had  done  its  work,  and  the  before  transparent 
water  was  discolored  with  blood,  and  covered  with  muti- 
lated carcasses.  Still  the  blacks  came  crowding  on 
down  the  hill,  and  in  scores  splashed  into  the  bay,  to 
meet  the  fate  of  those  before ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
the  soldiers  and  horsemen,  dashing  right  and  left  among 
them  on  the  beach,  gave  them  a  foretaste  of  what  they 
had  to  expect  from  the  boats. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  slaughter  which  took  place 
at  the  watering  ravine,  there  were  collected  from  difler- 
ent  parts  of  the  city,  and  piled  in  heaps  in  the  plaza, 
upwards  of  seven  hundred  dead  bodies,  while,  for  a 
long  time  after,  the  putrid  carcasses  were  fl.oating  about 
the  bay,  the  sharks  having  apparently  been  surfeited  by 
their  inordinate  feast.  This  insurrection  of  1835  was 
one  of  the  bloodiest  ever  known  in  Brazil. 
36* 


426  TALES   FOR   THE   MARINES. 

During  the  thickest  of  the  melee  at  the  ravines,  when 
the  gutter  of  the  jetty  was  fairly  running  with  blood, 
we  observed  four  large  men  spring  down  the  very  face 
of  the  rocky  steep,  and  amid  a  mass  of  dust,  stones,  and 
sticks  which  followed  their  footsteps,  dash  boldly  into  the 
midst  of  a  cluster  of  soldiers.      As  they  struck  right 
and  left  with  great  knives  curved  like  sickles,  the  Bra- 
zilians fell  back  before  the  sharp  steel ;  and  so  unex- 
pected was  the  attack,  that  two  of  the  party  had  time 
to  rush  to  the  beach,  and  by  one  vigorous  shove  launch 
a  light  canoe  which  had  been  hauled  upon  the  shore. 
The  hindmost  pair  did  not,  however,  join  their  compan 
ions  without  a  struggle ;  for  no  sooner  had  the  aston- 
ished and  wounded  guard  given  way,  than  three  troop- 
ers galloped  up,  with  sabres  raised,  to  cut  the  intruders 
to  pieces  before  they  could  reach  the  canoe.     We  now 
had  a  good  view  of  all  four  of  the  fugitives.     The  two 
first  were   of  huge  frames,  wholly  naked,  their  bodies 
shining  like  junk  bottles  in  the  sun,  and  their  woolly 
heads  partly  covered  with  a  cap  of  sea  shells.     There 
was   no  doubt  of  their  race.     Their  companions,  how- 
ever, were  powerful  men,  but  not  so  black  as  the  oth 
ers  i  besides,  they  wore  short  trousers,  and  red  cotton 
kerchiefs  around  their  brows,  and  had  whiskers. 

"  De  Lord  knows  de  niggers  by  de  wool ;  dem  two 
hind  chaps  am  stained  white  men,"  muttered  Kit  Dol- 
phin. 

Meanwhile  the  pair  turned  at  the  moment  the  horse- 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  427 

men  were  in  the  act  of  striking,  and  diving  under  the 
bellies  of  the  horses,  the  blows  descended  harmless, 
while  the  animals  were  completely  overthrown  by  the 
shock,  and  the  riders  hurled  heavily  from  the  saddle. 
The  third  trooper  came  off  still  worse ;  for  one  of  the 
fugitives  seized  his  steed  by  the  curb,  reined  him  back 
on  his  haunches,  and  then  dealt  the  rider  a  dreadful 
overhand  blow  with  the  immense  knife,  that  nearly  sev- 
ered his  leg  from  the  trunk.  Another  second  had  not 
passed  when  all  four  had  jumped  into  the  canoe,  seized 
the  paddles,  and  then,  with  a  fiendish  yell  of  triumph, 
shot  like  a  meteor  out  into  the  bay. 

It  so  happened  that  this  rapid  skirmish  and  flight  oc- 
curred somewhat  in  the  rear  of  the  main  body  of  troops 
who  now  lined  the  beach,  and  directly  astern  of  the 
flotilla  of  man-of-war  boats,  who,  anchored  in  line,  with 
their  swivels  and  guns  in  full  play,  did  not  see  what 
was  passing,  and  even  if  they  did,  could  not  easily  be 
diverted  for  so  small  a  quarry. 

The  canoe,  however,  passed  close  to  us,  urged  like  a 
javelin  over  the  calm  water.  We  had  but  a  glance  at 
them,  but  that  one  glance  at  the  half-averted  faces  of  the 
fellows  in  the  bow  and  stern  was  enough  for  us. 

The  gaunt,  bony  whaler,  of  whom  I  spoke  in  the 
beginning  of  this  yarn,  Mickey  Maginnis,  and  Kit  Dol- 
phin tuned  their  pipes ;  nor  did  the  presence  of  the 
stern  old  captain  restrain  their  deep  execrations. 

"  Mickey,"  said  the  former,  "  d'ye  call  to  mind  the 


428  TALES    FOR    THE   MARINES. 

throttled  baby  aboard  the  English  brig  ?  My  name's 
not  Steeving  Frankling,  and  may  I  never  see  Cape  Cod 
agin,  if  I  don't  stick  wun  of  them  viliings  afore  the 
sun  gits  over  the  fore  yard." 

"  Howly  Moses !  "  ejaculated  the  sturdy  little  Irish- 
man, as  he  exposed  his  pointed  teeth,  and  talked  through 
the  hole  made  for  his  pipe  ;  "  blast  yer  porth raits  !  av  a 
vartuous  action  'ull  hang  yer,  it's  me  an  '11  reeve  the 
rope." 

"  Bress  us !  "  broke  in  the  pious  Kit,  as  he  rapidly 
tucked  up  his  sleeves  in  a  tight  roll  to  the  armpits, 
exposing  a  volume  of  muscles  and  sinews,  in  great 
bunches,  like  uneven  laid  knots  of  hide  rope,  while  the 
white  splatch  on  his  cheek  and  eye  seemed  to  turn  crim 
son  with  excitement,  as  he  looked  anxiously  for  orders 
to  the  captain,  and  exclaimed,  "  Dem  dam  cussed  dogs 
of  pirates,  sar." 

Mad  Jack  himself  was  a  picture.  AVhile  the  boat's 
crew  sat  quivering  with  excitement,  their  brawny  flip- 
pers clutching  the  looms  of  the  oars,  ready  to  apply 
their  force  in  the  chase,  the  captain's  large  gray  eyes 
grew  as  luminous  as  a  furnace ;  his  lips  were  parted 
over  his  square  iron  jaw,  and  his  gaze  was  intently  fixed 
upon  the  canoe,  until  the  smoke  of  the  Bahiana's  boats 
hid  her  from  sight.  Then  he  spoke,  in  his  calm,  stern 
way. 

"  Let  me  have  these  tiller  ropes,  boy  ;  I'll  steer. 
Now,  men,  we  have  a  long  race  before   us,  on   empty 


TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES.  429 

stomaclis,  and  perhaps  a  swift  fellow  to  take ;  so  save 
your  strength,  and  away  with  her." 

I  must  tell  you,  Fred,  that  the  Juniata's  gig,  though 
clinker  built  and  rather  hea\y,  pulled  eight  oars,  and 
had  never  been  caught.  At  the  same  time  we  were 
ignorant  what  she  would  do  alongside  one  of  the  slim, 
light,  frail  shells  we  had  now  to  compete  with,  since  she 
had  never  been  tried.  She  parted  the  water  very  hand- 
somely, however,  and  whizzed  away  in  obedience  to  the 
captain's  order  with  great  rapidity,  but  still  by  no  means 
up  to  her  speed.  There  was  little  or  no  wind  in  the 
vicinity  from  where  we  started,  for  the  concussion  of 
the  guns  had  almost  killed  it.  The  smoke,  too,  lay  in 
light  flakes  of  blue  clouds  close  along  the  harbor,  so  as 
to  obscure  the  chase.  In  a  few  moments,  however,  we 
got  beyond  its  influence,  and  came  out  into  a  clear 
atmosphere,  and  just  in  time  to  see  the  canoe  skim 
like  a  flying-fish  round  a  low,  sandy  point  ahead  of  us. 
Whether  the  persons  in  her  were  aware  that  they  were 
pursued  we  hardly  knew,  but  we  thought  they  were 
not. 

^^Now,  Dolphin,"  said  the  captain,  "strong  and 
long."  And  to  me,  "Youngster,  pitch  these  heavy 
gratings,  the  cushions,  backboard,  and  every  ounce  of 
extra  weight,  overboard." 

I  did  as  I  was  bid,  while  the  boat's  crew  gave  a  tug 
at  their  belts,  the  long  oars  cheeped  in  the  rowlocks, 
and  the  compressed  water  between  the  blades  flashed 


430  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

and  foamed  in  the  rising  sun,  as  tlie  gig  danced  on  her 
course. 

Keeping  near  to  the  edge  of  the  point,  —  and  low  as  it 
was,  we  were  screened  from  the  other  side  by  a  thick 
grove  of  cocoa  nuts  and  limes,  —  we  presently  shot  swiftly 
round,  and  there,  witliin  a  cable's  length,  was  the  canoe, 
pulling  but  two  paddles,  while  the  negroes  were  step- 
ping the  masts  and  preparing  to  make  sail.  We  were 
nearly  upon  her  before  being  discovered ;  but  instantly 
resuming  the  paddles,  and  taking  a  sharp  turn,  by  almost 
superhuman  efforts,  the  cork- like  vessel  glided  away 
from  our  grasp. 

"  Neber  do  to  gib  it  up  so,"  exclaimed  Kit,  cheer- 
fully; "nab-bem  de  bery  nex  time  but  one." 

Old  Percy  merely  drew  his  pistols  towards  him  on  the 
stern  sheets,  and  whispered  to  me,  "  Bring  me  down 
one  of  those  stained  white  villains." 

I  threw  up  the  long  tube,  and  touched  the  trigger  ; 
but  either  my  agitation  or  the  jerking  of  the  boat  sent 
the  bullet  wide  of  the  mark,  and  a  yell  of  derision 
came  from  the  canoe.  I  was  about  to  cry  with  vexation 
when  the  captain  nodded  to  the  remaining  weapon,  and 
said,  "  Quick." 

This  trial  the  shot  was  not  so  bad,  though  the  distance 
was  greater,  for  the  ball  struck  the  after  paddle  with  a 
placlc,  first  going  smash  through  the  paw  of  Tom  Mur- 
den.  Esquire,  who  had  hold  of  it.  The  paddle  took  a 
kind  of  slue,  but  the  fellow  still  continued  his  work. 


TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES.  431 

while  tlie  blood  ran  a  stream  down  the  dark  blade. 
The  captain  greeted  me  with  a  smile^  but  never  removed 
his  gaze  fi'om  the  chase. 

On  we  flew,  within  earshot  of  her  too,  so  that  we 
could  hear  the  deep  guttural  grunts  of  the  negroes  at 
every  stroke  of  the  paddles.  Both  boats,  impelled  at 
wonderful  speed,  were  heading  for  a  broad  belt  of  man- 
groves, which  lined  the  shore  in  the  distance,  growing 
beneath  the  tall,  rocky  banks,  where  we  could  see  a 
cascade  of  water  tossing  its  spray  over  the  dense  fohage 
below.  It  was  a  trying  race ;  yet  we  could  not  gain  an 
inch.  Xot  a  word  was  uttered  ;  old  Jack  bent  to  the 
stroke  of  the  oars ;  the  powerful  crew,  with  short 
Mickey  Maginnis  in  the  bow,  would  only  at  intervals 
give  a  rapid  glance  over  their  shoulders  ahead,  and  then 
with  renewed  efforts  apply  their  strength  to  the  business 
before  them. 

For  four  or  five  miles  we  continued  on  at  the  same 
rate.  It  could  not  last,  however,  forever ;  and  we  be- 
gan to  perceive  evident  signs  of  weakness  on  the  part 
of  Mr.  Tom  Murden,  who  had  the  eyelet  hole  worked 
in  his  hand,  for  his  head  reeled  every  moment  as  if  he 
was  drunk. 

"  One  word,  lads,"  said  the  captain,  as  the  boats 
now  rapidly  neared  the  mangroves  —  "  one  word  :  don't 
trouble  the  blacks  ;  those  pirates  —  you  understand." 

Kit  Dolphin  threw  up  his  flipper  in  token  of  obedi- 
ence.    At  the  moment  the  canoe  passed  from  our  sight 


43^  TALES    FOR   THE   MARINES. 

Straight  into  the  laced  thickets.  A  few  seconds  later, 
the  gig  went  crashing  into  the  same  spot  in  her  wake, 
and  so  great  was  her  impetus  that  she  not  only  cut  the 
canoe's  stem  clean  off  like  a  knife,  but  split  our  own 
bow  wide  open,  as  it  ran  high  up  on  the  yielding  brown 
roots,  and  sent  us  all  with  a  jerk  sprawling  over  the 
thwarts. 

"  After  them  ! "  shouted  old  Jack.  Kit  and  the  whaler 
sprang  simultaneously  into  the  deserted  canoe,  now  half 
full  of  water,  and  bounding  on  to  the  quivering  laced 
roots  which  made  a  kind  of  bridge,  they  overtook  and 
drove  their  cutlasses  into  the  skull  and  body  of  Murden, 
as  he  was  picking  his  way,  half  fainting,  after  his  com- 
panions. He  fell  over  with  a  groan,  the  head  dipping  in 
the  water,  his  legs  caught  in  the  fibrous  roots  ;  a  few 
bubbles  of  blood  and  a  convulsive  spasm,  and  he  was  a 
dead  man. 

"  Be  Jasus,"  said  Mickey,  as  we  hurried  on,  "  there's 
one  av  'em  has  got  his  pay  soup ;  and  I'll  hang  him, 
jist  for  form's  sake,  whin  I  come  back  this  way." 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  path  the  others  had 
taken;  for  not  only  did  the  torn  foliage  and  broken 
limbs  and  twigs  denote  it,  but  we  heard  the  negroes 
wailing;  asfain  in  the  same  wild  shrieks  as  on  the  retreat 
from  Bahia. 

Getting  out  of  the  mangrove  bushes,  we  came  to  a 
cleared  margin  of  sand,  sprinkled  over  with  palms  and 
cocoa  nuts.     Just  beyond  was  a  precipitous  pile  of  rocks, 


TALES    FOR    THE    MARINES.  433 

like  a  wall,  where  the  shrubs  and  tendrils  of  vines, 
mingled  with  luxuriant  foliage,  fringed  the  bank,  and 
nearly  hid  the  course  of  the  waterfall,  save  by  the 
gurgling  mui'mur  of  its  liquid  throat,  as  it  fell  down  a 
yawning  ravine  into  a  deep  chasm  below. 

On  gaining  the  open  spot  of  sand,  we  beheld  the 
blacks  running  along  the  coast,  while  before  us  were 
part  of  the  gig's  crew  scrambling  up  the  bank,  leaving  no 
doubt  as  to  the  track  of  Lowther.  It  was  a  somewhat 
difficult  steep  to  climb ;  but  even  our  stanch  old  cap- 
tain managed  to  reach  the  top  as  soon  as  the  best  of  us. 
Then  we  all  followed  in  the  wake  of  Kit  and  the  whaler. 
The  soil  was  very  rich,  and  amid  large  forest  timber 
ran  up  the  slim,  flexile  shafts  of  the  papas,  and  all 
laced  with  lianas  and  campanulas,  glowing  with  the  flit- 
ting, brilliant  insects  of  a  Brazilian  wood.  Along  the 
banks  of  the  stream,  whose  bed  was  a  mass  of  jagged, 
impassable  rocks,  the  gay  chintules  —  a  kind  of  rushes  — 
kissed  the  spray  of  the  torrent,  while  the  lofty  foliage 
drooped  in  graceful  bends  and  loops  which  touched 
midway  over  the  stream.  It  was  scarcely  thirty  feet  in 
width;  yet  the  obstacles  were  too  serious  to  pass,  and 
we  felt  no  uneasiness  lest  Lowther  should  evade  us  in 
that  dli-ection. 

The  villain,  however,  with  wings  lent  him  by  desper- 
ation, had  outstripped  us  all  but  Kit ;  and  soon  we  heard 
his  deep  roar  of,  "  Bress  Heben,  treed  him  at  last,  jes 
like  a  dam  'possum  !  " 
37 


434  TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES. 

Coming  up  to  tlie  place,  we  beheld  tlie  pirate  clam- 
bering up  a  giant  mabogany  tree  to  the  topmost  branch- 
es, while  Dolphin,  with  his  cutlass  betwixt  his  teeth, 
was  going  up  hand  over  fist  after  him.  There  was  not 
a  pistol  among  us,  or  Kit  might  possibly  have  been 
spared  the  additional  fatigue,  after  the  race,  of  climbing 
up  a  tree. 

Lowther  had  soon  worked  his  way  to  the  thorny 
summit  over  the  torrent,  and  seemed  to  be  intently 
examining  the  lesser  growth  below  him. 

"  Should  he  attempt  to  leap  the  stream  from  that 
height,  he'll  be  dashed  to  atoms  ;  but  it  will  only  save 
me  the  boat's  painter,  which  I  intend  to  hang  him  with. 
Ah,  there  he  goes  !  " 

While  the  captain  was  speaking,  the  villain  made  a 
spring  from  the  wide-spread  branches  of  his  perch,  and 
making  a  long  flight  through  the  air,  he  alighted  upon 
a  tall,  lance-like  sapling,  with  a  little  tuft  of  branches^ 
at  the  top.  This  gave  way  to  the  force  of  his  leap,  and 
broke  short  off ;  but  with  great  presence  of  mind  he 
seized  another  within  reach,  M'liich  bent  at  first  like  a 
fishing  rod,  but  did  not  give  way.  There  he  swung, 
with  a  smile  of  devilish  satisfaction  creeping  over  his 
scarred  and  blackened  face,  suspended  over  the  turbu 
lent  torrent,  waiting  till  the  vibrations  of  the  tree  should 
give  him  the  chance  of  landing  on  the  opposite  bank, 
and  exclaiming  the  while,  — 

"  So    you   Yankee   rascals   have    caught   me,    eh  ? " 


TALES    FOR   THE    MARINES.  435 

Then  glancing  up  to  Kit,  he  added,  "  Why  don't  you 
jump,  you  spotted  scoundrel  ?  " 

Dolphin  was,  in  fact,  in  the  act  of  attempting  the 
leap  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  when  the  fragile  limbs,  una- 
ble to  bear  his  weight,  gave  way,  and  he  was  precipi- 
tated over  and  over  throiisrh  the  vieldino;  branches  and 
leaves  to  the  earth. 

All  this  took  place  in  a  much  shorter  time  than  it 
takes  to  tell  it.  The  swing,  however,  of  Lowther's 
pendulum  movements  seemed  to  be  communicated  to  the 
surrounding  foliage,  and  as  he  remained  dangling  about 
fifteen  feet  from  the  ground,  in  mid  air,  watching  to 
make  a  safe  descent,  three  or  four  of  the  light  trees  were 
without  visible  means  bent  together,  and  then  flew  back 
with  a  snap,  making  the  quiet  forest  to  rustle  and  trem- 
ble with  the  force.  A  second  after  we  beheld  the  long, 
flat  head,  and  scaly,  sinuous  body  of  a  huge  boa,  of  the 
size  of  a  line-of-battle  ship's  hemp  cable,  protrude  them- 
selves many  feet  from  the  trunk  of  a  gnarled  mahogany 
tree.  With  a  malignant  glare  from  his  fiery  eye,  and 
shooting  out  his  forked  tongue  as  quick  as  lightning,  he 
approached  his  victim. 

The  horror-stricken  wretch  had  only  time  to  give  one 
agonizing  cry  before  the  coils  of  the  monster  were  around 
him.  Tearing  him  like  a  worm  from  the  sapling,  the 
serpent  clutched  him  against  the  hard  timber  ;  and  then, 
not  in  a  screw-like  or  spiral  twist,  but  with  the  great, 
muscular,  shiny  body,  in  writhing  layers  and  knots,  he 


436  TALES    FOR   THE    MAEINB3. 

craunched  Lowther's  bones,  like  so  many  sticks,  be- 
neath the  overwhelming  pressure.  The  blood  spirted 
from  his  eyes,  nose,  and  ears,  and  he  gave  some  half- 
stifled  groans,  as  the  serpent  partially  relaxed  his 
hold.  Making  a  succession  of  half  revolutions,  the 
monster  again  clasped  him  in  his  deadly  embrace,  and  in 
one  huge,  hissing  knot,  dropped  his  prey  upon  the 
ground.  Then,  amid  the  undergrowth,  we  could  see  the 
coils  spread  out  and  brought  together  to  make  sure  that 
life  was  extinct ;  then  more  rapid  gyrations,  until  all  was 
still ;  and  finally,  the  boa's  flat  head  raised  high  up,  like 
a  flexile  tube,  the  mouth  strained  open,  the  great  fangs 
protruding,  the  eyes  darting  flame,  while  the  bruised, 
shapeless  mass  of  human  flesh  lay  within  his  folds,  ready 
to  be  devoured. 

Such  was  the  fate  of  the  pirate.  We  remained  no 
longer  near  the  horrid  spot  than  to  be  convinced  that 
the  villain  had  at  last  paid  the  penalty  of  his  crimes. 
Then,  retracing  our  steps  to  the  mangroves,  we  con- 
trived to  patch  up  the  gig  and  return  to  the  Juniata. 

This,  said  the  Lieutenant,  flinging  his  cheroot  in 
the  fire,  closes  my  narrative ;  and  I  trust,  ladies,  that 
not  only  you,  but  Fred,  here,  will  swallow  it  without 
any  more  compunctions  of  conscience  than  the  boa  had 
in  swallowing  Lowther. 


Phillips,  Sampson,  Sf  Co.'s  Publications.        27 


POPU.  —  TJfU  POETICAL  WORKS  OF  AL- 
EXANDER POPE.  To  ^rhich  is  prefixed  a  Life  of  the 
Author.  12mo,,  with  portrait.  Bound  in  cloth,  ^1.00;  cloth 
gilt,  ^1.50 ;  morocco,  ^2.50. 

POLLOK.— COURSE  OF  TIME.  By  Rob- 
ert PoLLOK,  A.  M.  18mo.,  cloth,  50  cents;  half  bound,  34 
cents. 

PER  CIV AL.— THE  PICTORIAL  LIBRARY 

OF  USEFUL  INFORMATION,  AND  FAMILY  ENCY- 
CLOPEDIA. Comprising  a  complete  Library  of  usetul  and 
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ing ;  the  whole-  compiled  from  the  most  authentic  Sources.  By 
Walter  Peecival,  A.  M.  Illustrated  with  2o0  engravings. 
One  volume,  8vo.  Bound  in  cloth,  53.00 ;  library  style  and 
embossed  morocco,  53.50. 


THE     UNIVERSAL     LIBRARY     OF 

LITERATURE,  AND  ILLUSTRATED  MIRROR  OF 
THE  WORLD.  Comprising  nearly  one  thousand  Articles  of 
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gravings. One  volume,  8vo.  Bound  in  cloth,  53.00 ;  library 
style  and  embossed  morocco,  53.50. 

RAIKES.  —  THE   MARRIAGE    CONTRACT, 

By  Miss  Haeriet  Raises.    Svo.,  paper.    Price  25  cents. 

REYNOLDS.  —   OUR      CAMPAIGN;       OR, 

THOUGHTS  ON  THE  CAREER  OF  LIFE.  By  Rev. 
E.  Wixchester  Reynolds.    12mo.,  cloth.    Price  88  cents. 

"  A  book  of  high,  noble  thoughts,  suggested  by  the  facts  of  history  smd 
the  revelations  and  promises  of  Christiani'y,  profound  convictions,  whtcil 
have  cheered  and  gladdened  the  paths  of  thouaajids." 


28        PhillipSy  Sampsoji,  Sf  Oo.'s  Publications. 


§rl]00,l  Sacks* 

CROSBY'S  GREEK  GRAMMAR.    12mo.,  sheep,   Pr.  51.25. 
XENOPHON'S  ANABASIS.     12mo.,  sheep.    Price  75  cents. 
GREEK  LESSONS.    12mo.,  morocco  backs.    Price  63  cents. 
GREEK  TABLES.    12mo.,  morocco  backs.    Price  34  cents. 

The  above  are  by  Alpheus  Crosby,  Professor  of  the  Greek 
Language  and  Literature  in  Dartmouth  College.  They  are  very 
highly  recommended,  and  are  already  extensively  in  use,  as  text 
books,  in  the  different  colleges  and  classical  schools  in  the  country. 

KUHNER'S  LATIN  EXERCISE  BOOK.     Introductory  to 
his  LatiL  Grammar.    By  Professor  C±iAMPLIN.    Price  63  cents. 

ELEMENTARY    LATIN     GRAMMAR.      By 


Prof.  J.  T.  Champlin.    A  new  edition,  entirely  revised.    Price 

FOLSOM'S  LIVY.  Stereotj^pe  edition  12mo.,  sheep.  Price 
90  cents. 

COMMON  SCHOOL  ALGEBRA.  By  Thomas  Sherwin, 
Principal  ot  the  English  High  School,  Boston,  author  of  the 
**  Elements  of  Algebra."     12mo.,  sheep.    Price  75  cents. 

KEY  TO   COMMON  SCHOOL  ALGEBRA.    12mo.     Price 

67  cents. 
ADAMS'S  MENTAL  ARITHMETIC.    18mo.,  half  morocco. 

Price  28  cents. 

. •  NEW  ARITHMETIC.  12mo.,  half  morocco.   Price 

45  cents. 

KEY  TO  ARITHMETIC.     12mo.,  half  morocco. 


Price  45  cents. 

MENSURATION.      12mo.,  half  morocco.     Pnee 


50  cents. 

BOOKKEEPING.   With  Journal  and  Leger.    Price 


afl.13. 


Phillips,  Sampson,  4*  Go's  Puhlicattons.        29 


MILTON'S  PARADISE  LOST.    ISmo.,  morocco  back.   Price 

34  cents. 
YOUNG'S    NIGHT    THOUGHTS.      ISmc,    morocco    back 

Price  34  cents. 
THOMSON'S  SEASONS.    ISmo.,  morocco  back.    Pr.  25  cts. 

COWPER'S  TASK.    18mo.,  morocco  back.    Price  25  cents. 

POLLOK'S    COURSE    OF    TIME.      18mo.,  morocco  back. 
Price  34  cents. 

WORCESTER'S  ANCIENT,  CLASSICAL,  AND  SCRIP- 
TURAL    GEOGRAPHY    AND    ATLAS.      New    edition. 
Price  63  cents. 
% MODERN  GEOGRAPHY  AND  ATLAS. 

New  edition.     Price  §1.00. 

ANCIENT,  CLASSICAL,   AND   SCRIP- 


TURAL ATLAS.    Price  50  cents. 
ANCIENT  GEOGRAPHY.    Price  2-5  cents. 


TILLINGH AST'S  ELEMENTS  OF  PLANE  GEOME- 
TRY.    12mo.,  sheep.     Price  50  cents. 

ESSAY  ON  ENGLISH  GRAMMAR.    By  S.  B.  Goodnow. 

12mo.     Price  50  cents. 
NEW  ENGLAND  GRAMMAR.    By  S.  B.  Goodxow.    12mo. 

Price  50  cents. 

CONGREGATIONAL  SINGING  BOOK,  A  collection  of 
the  most  approved  Psalm  and  Hymn  Tunes.  By  Asa  Fitz. 
Half  bound,  50  cents  ;  cloth,  62  cents. 

COMMON  SCHOOL   SONG  BOOK.     By  Asa  Fitz,  authoi 

of  "  American  School  Song  Book,"  &c.    Price  30  cents. 

AMERICAN  COLLECTION;    OR,  SONGS  OF  SACRED 
PRAISE.     A  new   collection   of   Psalm   and  Hymn  Tunes, 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  Choirs,  Singing  Schools,  &c.    By  E 
Hamiltok.     Price  80  cents. 
3* 


30         Phillips,  Sampson,  8^  Co.^s  Puhlications. 

SABBATH  SCHOOL   MINSTREL.     By  Asa  Fitz.     Price 
15  cents. 

SCHOOL    SONGS   FOR    THE   MILLION.     By  Asa  Fitz 
and  J.  W.  Green.    Half  bound,  20  cents. 

AMERICAN  SCHOOL  SONG  BOOK.    By  Asa  Fitz.    New 

edition,  revised.    Half  bound,  20  cents. 

NEWCOMB'S  SCRIPTURE  QUESTIONS  ON  THE  HE- 
BREWS.    Parts  1  and  2.     Price  15  cents. 


SHAKSPEARE'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.   Em- 

bellished  with  40  steel  engravings.  Superb  edition.  Eight  vol- 
umes, imperial  8vo.  Muslin,  ^16.09;  library  style,  ;g 20.00 ; 
calf  backs  and  comers,  ^25.00 ;  morocco  backs  and  corners, 
;g25.0Q ;  morocco,  full  gilt,  ^40.00. 

This  is  known  as  the  Boston  Illustrated  Heroire  Edition,  which 
received  the  unqualified  commendation  of  the  entire  press  of  the 
country,  for  clearness  of  type,  beauty  of  paper,  and  elegance  of 
illustration,  as  being  the  finest  and  most  sumptuous  edition  ever 
published  in  America. 

"It  will  be  known  as,  ■par  excellence,  the  Boston  Shakspeare."  —  Home 
Jcurval. 

"  We  have  for  years  desired  to  see  the  immortal  bard  of  Avon  dressed 
in  such  style  as  this."  —  St.  Louis  Reveille. 

"The  best,  in  every  respect,  ever  published  in  America."  —  JV*.  O. 
Chronicle. 

"  The  paper  is  superb,  and  the  e}'e  luxuriates  as  it  wanders  over  such 
elegant  typography.  We  advise  all  who  wish  a  superb  edition  to  examine 
the  claims  of  this."  —  Lovisville  Journal. 

SHAKSPEARE'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.   With 

a  fine  portrait.  Eight  volumes,  8vo.  Muslin,  extra,  ^lO-OO; 
library  style,  ^^12.00;  morocco  backs  and  corners,  ^15.00. 

The  above  is  the  celebrated  Boston  Edition  of  the  great  drama- 
tist; and  in  its  typography  is  without  a  rival  in  this  country. 

SHAKSPEARE' S   COMPLETE    WORKS.     40 

illustrations.     Eight  volumes,  12mo.,  muslin.     Price  56.00. 


Phillips,  Sampson,  ^  Co.'s  Pallications.         25 
MILTON.— THE   POETICAL     WORKS    OF 

JOHN  MIL  TON.  Edited  by  Sir  Egertox  Brydges,  Bart, 
Illustrated  with  portrait  and  engravings,  designed  by  John  Mar 
tin  and  J.  W.  M.  Turner,  R.  A.  One  volume,  8vo.  Cloth, 
P.OO;  library  style,  53.50;  cloth  gilt,  ^4  00 ;  morocco,  ^o.OO  ; 
half  calf,  ^4.00  ;  Turkey  gilt  and  Turkey  antique,  ^6.00. 

"  Decidedly  the  best  edition  published." 

PARADISE  LOST.     A  Poem  in  Twelve 


Books.     18mo.,  cloth,  50  cents;  half  hound,  34  cents. 

MILTON  AND  YOUNG.  — PARADISE  LOST. 

In  Twelve  Parts.  By  John  Milton.  NIGHT  THOUGHTS 
ON  LIFE,  DEATH,  AND  IMMORTALITY.  To  which 
is  added.  The  Force  of  Religion.  By  Edward  Young,  D.  D. 
A  new  edition.  12mo.,  cloth,  ;gl.OO;  cloth  gilt,  ,gl.50;  mo- 
rocco, ^2.50. 

MORETON  —  FRANK    AND    FANNY;     A 

RURAL  STORY.  By  Mrs.  Clara  Moreton.  Illustrated 
with  numerous  engravings.     16mo.,  cloth.    Price  50  cents. 

"  Exceedingly  attractive." 

MASSINGER  AND  FORD.— THE  DRAMAT- 
IC WORKS  OF  MASSINGER  AND  FORD.  With  an 
Introduction  by  Hartley  Coleridge,  A  new  edition,  with 
portrait  and  illustrated  titlepage.  Complete  in  one  octavo  vol- 
ume.    In  parts. 


MULLER  AND  MURRAY.  — A  UNIVERSAL 

HISTORY  OF  THE  WORLD,  FROM  THE  CREA- 
TION TO  THE  YEAR  1780.  By  John  von  Muller.  Re- 
vised and  brought  down  to  the  year  1853  by  W.  R.  Murrat. 
Esq.  Illustrated  with  numerous  engravings  from  original  de- 
signs by  S.  W.  Rowse.    8vo.    Embossed  morocco,  5*'^' 

3 


2Q        Phillips,  Sampson,  Sf  Co.'s  Publications* 
MURRAY.— PICTORIAL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA,  FROM  THE  EAR^ 
LIEST  PERIOD  TO  THE  CLOSE  OF  PRESIDENT 
TAYLORS  ADMINISTRATION.  With  Anecdotes  and 
Sketches  of  distinguished  leading  Men.  By  Hugh  Murray, 
Esq.  With  Additions  and  Corrections  by  Henxy  C.  Watson. 
Illustrated  with  numerous  engravings  from  original  designs  by 
W.  Croome.    8to.,  cloth,  ^3.00 ;  Ubrary  style,  ^3.50. 

. THE  CYCLOPEDIA  OF  USEFUL  AND 

ENTERTAINING  KNOWLEDGE.  Forming  a  complete 
Library  of  Family  Information  ;  embracing  Literature,  Science, 
Art,  Agriculture,  Manufactures,  Commerce,  Natural  History, 
Biography,  Travels,  Improvements,  Inventions,  Discoveries, 
Settlements,  Mythology,  Botany,  Geology,  &c.  By  W.  R. 
Murray,  F.  R.  S.  Illustrated  with  350  engravings.  One  vol- 
ume, 8vo.  Bound  in  cloth,  ^3.00 ;  library  style,  $Z.50 ;  em- 
bossed morocco,  ;g3.50. 

MERRICK.  —  LIFE    AND    RELIGION    OF 

MOHAMMED.  Translated  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Merrick.  8vo., 
cloth,    Price  51.50. 

"  Altogether  the  most  important  and  trustworthy  work  relating  to  Mo- 
hammed ever  translated  into  English,  giving,  as  it  does,  'a  full  view  of 
his  life  and  religion,  with  sketches  of  his  ancestors,  companions,  and 
times,  blended  witii  maxims  and  legends  illustrative  of  Oriental  manners.' 
To  the  theologian  it  is  invaluable,  while  to  the  general  reader  it  is  as  inter 
esting  as  an  Oriental  romance,  being  in  the  form  of  a  narrative,  with  fre- 
quent flashes  of  magnificent  poetry.  The  account  of  the  birth  of  Moham- 
med, especially,  is  exquisitely  beautiful."  —  E.  P.  Whipple. 

NA  VAL  MONUMENT.  Containing  official  and 
other  Accounts  of  the  Battles  fought  by  the  Navy  of  the 
United  States.  With  25  engravings.  Svo.,  muslin,  gilt.  Price 
51.50. 

OSSLAN.— THE  POEMS  OF  OSSIAN.   Trans- 

lated  by  James  Macpherson,  Esq.  To  which  are  prefixed  a 
a  Preliminary  Discourse  and  Dissertation  on  the  Aera  and 
Poems  of  Ossian.  12mo.,  elegantly  illustrated.  Bound  ia 
cloth,  51.00;  cloth  gilt,  51.50,  morocco,  52.50. 


5      6  9  4  1' 


